Kapurthala, February 26
Among the candidates whose fate would be decided tomorrow are four candidates from Kapurthala district. For them contesting elections runs in the family.

Trying his luck for the third time from Bholath on the Congress ticket is DCC president Sukhpal Singh Khaira. He is a son of former education minister Sukhjinder Singh Khaira. Sukhjinder won on the SAD ticket from the seat in 1977, 1980 and 1985. Sukhpal was not lucky as a Congress contestant in 1997 and 2002.

His rival SAD candidate Bibi Jagir Kaur is a daughter-in-law of Bawa Harnam Singh, who was elected MLA in 1952, 1957 on the Congress ticket and in 1969 on the SAD ticket. Younger brother of Sant Baba Prem Singh Muralewale, Bawa Harnam Singh lost in 1977 when he fought as an Independent supported by the Congress. Bibi, also a former SGPC chief, joined the SAD and won in 1997 and 2002.

Trying his luck for the first time from Sultanpur Lodhi is former DCC president Navtej Singh Cheema . He is a son of former Congress MLA Gurmail Singh Cheema. Gurmail contested twice from the seat. He lost in 1985 and won in 1992.

Cheema’s rival SAD candidate Upinderjeet Kaur is a daughter of a former revenue minister Atma Singh who was elected MLA five times from the seat, including 1977 and 1980. A former minister Upinderjeet Kaur won 1997 and 2002 elections.

Congress candidate from Phagwara (SC) Joginder Singh Mann is a nephew (sister’s son) of a former Bihar Governor Buta Singh. Mann is in the fray for this seat for the fifth time in row since 1985. He won in 1985, 1992 and 2002. Now he is locked in a keen fight with BJP candidate Swarna Ram, who is also trying his luck from here for the fifth time.

Likewise Congress candidate from Kapurthala seat Rajbans Kaur is wife of Jalandhar MP Rana Gurjit Singh. Trying her luck for the first time, she had filed her papers as a covering candidate for her sister and sitting MLA Sukhjinder Kaur, but the latter’s papers were rejected.

Rana contested and defeated SAD candidate Raghubir Singh on this seat with a margin of 10,125 votes in 2002. However, this seat fell vacant when Rana resigned to contest parliamentary elections. Subsequently, Rana’s sister-in-law Sukhjinder Kaur was fielded as Congress candidate in October 2004 by-election. She defeated Raghubir Singh with a margin of 13,290 votes.

Now Rajbans Kaur is locked in a keen contest with Raghubir Singh, who won from this seat in 1980 and 1997. 

Jalandhar, February 26
The counting of votes will begin tomorrow at 8 am at 116 polling centres simultaneously across Punjab. The result is expected by noon.

In Jalandhar (North), which was represented by industry minister and Congress stalwart Avtar Henry, opponent K.D. Bhandari, who is also the leader of opposition in the local municipal corporation, has posed a serious threat to Henry, who was earlier otherwise taking it as a sure shot win for him.

In Jalandhar (Central), the contest has been converted into a triangular among Congress nominee Tejinder Singh Bittu, BJP candidate Manoranjan Kalia and Independent candidate Shital Vij, an industrialist. In Jalandhar (South), there is direct fight between minister Mohinder Singh Kay Pee (Congress) and former MLA Chunni Lal Bhagat (BJP). Being a reserved constituency and missing of a strong BSP candidate, winners would have to work hard to attract the BSP vote bank.

In the Kartarpur (SC) constituency, where powerful minister of the state Choudhary Jagjit Singh has locked his horns with SAD’s Avinash Chander, strong anti-incumbency factor against Choudhary apart from allegation of his involvement in multi-crore scam of Ludhiana’s city centre, has made it the tough fight.

In Jalandhar (Cantonement), the SAD has fielded new face Jagbir Brar, who has already posed a challenge before only woman candidate of the district and state minister Gurkanwal Kaur. — Agencies

Jalandhar, February 26
Acting on the complaint of Pulangh, an NGO, the Punjab State Information Commission has issued a show-cause notice to the public information officers (PIOs) of the Department of Home Affairs and Justice and the DGP why the penalty under Section 20 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, be not imposed upon them for failure to provide information within the prescribed period.

The NGO has sought information regarding the criteria adopted by the government in the posting of police officers, including DSPs and SPs, in districts.

The commission has also asked the PIOs why suitable compensation be not awarded to the complainant under Section 19(8)(b) of the Act.

“Under the provisions of the Act, we urged the Department of Home Affairs on August 28 to provide us information regarding the posting of police officers in the state from the year 2002 to 2006. The aim of seeking information is to know, if any, the role played by the politicians, ministers and the ruling government in their postings,” says Devinder Pal, a spokesperson for the NGO.

After the Department of Home failed to give the reply within one month, the NGO moved the information commission in October.

Interestingly, after the complaint to the commission, the PIO, Home, in its reply to the commission and the NGO in November accepted that public representatives made recommendations regarding the posting of police officers, but the authorities concerned take the decision on their postings on the merit.

The NGO again complained to the commission that the reply of the Home Department should be considered as its denial to provide information. “We sought action against the PIO, Home,” says Devinder Pal.

On January 22, the commission directed the respondent to provide information within three weeks.

As the respondent failed to provide information, the commission, comprising Rajan Kashyap, Chief Information Commissioner, and Surinder Singh and Lieut-Gen P.K. Grover, both state information commissioners, issued the notice to the PIOs, Home, and DGP, on February 20 to submit complete information by March 1.

During the proceedings of the commission, Harpreet Singh, SP, on behalf of the respondent, said: “The information regarding the DSPs and the SPs is maintained by the DGP’s office, whereas information regarding officials from the rank of constable to inspector is maintained by the police units concerned. As the police department is busy in conducting the elections, the information will be supplied soon.”

Meanwhile, the commission has adjourned the case till March 6.

Jalandhar, February 26
A building on a five-acre campus meant for a 25-bed government hospital in Ugga village in Nakodar subdivision is being used as an animal shed and a garbage dump. There are no doors at the entry point. The hospital staff operates from an adjoining rest house of the Panchayat Samiti with just a single-bed facility.

The hospital building is being used as a dump for three decades. It was set up under a Punjab government scheme. The panchayat was asked to allot five acres and deposit an amount of Rs 5,000. The building allotted for the hospital was an old one and its roof collapsed almost eight years back. Then the entire infrastructure was shifted to the adjoining rest house. The hospital building and its roof was repaired in 2001 with a grant to the tune of Rs 3 lakh given by the then MLA Ajit Singh Kohar. A stone laid in this connection there endorses the story.

Sarpanch Suresh Kumar said that he had sent repeated reminders to the departments concerned, but to no avail. The make-shift hospital building is sans any power connection , leaving medical equipment worth lakhs of rupees to gather dust. Without electricity, there is no possibility of setting up an operation theatre or a pathological laboratory, mandatory for government rural hospitals. The resthouse doesn’t have a toilet. Its absence is felt acutely by women staff and patients.

The lack of facilities in the hospital has turned away patients. They are forced to go to private hospitals. The hospital is also ailing from staff shortage. One of the two medical officers has been sent on deputation and the other is often sent out to the Public Health Centre at Mahitpur.

Kapurthala, February 26
The district police is yet to record the statement of the victim of gangrape before the magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC.

SSP Rajiv Ahir says once she is out of the hospital her statement will be recorded before a magistrate. There was no need to call a magistrate to the hospital as the statement recorded under Section 164, CrPC, has limited evidence value.

On the contrary, lawyer K.K Arora is of the view that it was advisable to record the statement of the complainant under Section 164, CrPC, as it would deter her from changing her statement at a later stage. Such a statement is used as a corroborative piece of evidence during proceeding of the case.

The Valmiki widow was allegedly gangraped by members of the same community after parading her naked on the abetment of several women in Kala Sanghia village on Friday.

However , the district police has not named any woman in the FIR lodged against 10 men, three of whom are still absconding. SHO Sukhvinder Singh says the victim had not named any woman in her statement.

If she names women at a later stage her supplementary statement would be recorded and the names of those women will be included in the FIR.

Meanwhile, the police succeeded in nabbing the seventh accused Bachan on Monday. Three other accused Shera, Manna and Gora are still absconding.

Sarwan, his sons Jasbir Bagga, Malkit and Mohinder, Gurdev and Manjeeta were produced in the court of ACJM P.S. Dhanoa, who extended their police remand by one-day. Meanwhile, the Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO) is conducting an independent investigation of the incident.