Rajni ended life on eve of Women’s Day
Accident claim relatives, suicide, says SSP
Ludhiana, March 8
On the eve of International Women Day, a girl of a high-profile family allegedly ended her life for not being free to choose her life partner and lead her life in her own way. As the girl, Rajni (24) was related to the family of former President Giani Zail Singh makes the incident significant for women who celebrate this day every year to fight for the rights of the fair sex. 

Rajni (file photo)

Graft: Tehsildars’ new modus operandi to go scot free
Jalandhar, March 8
It has become difficult for the authorities concerned to implement the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to stop certain officials of the Revenue Department from indulging in corruption while registering sale deeds.

Political intervention stalls demolition in Amritsar

Amritsar, March 8 There was tension in the Albert Road area near Circuit House of the city as the demolition squad with bulldozers and policemen arrived at the site to demolish illegally constructed multi-storey building here today but could not execute the orders allegedly due to political intervention from the ruling alliance. A bulldozer faces an illegal building near circuit house in Amritsar on Thursday. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma

Husband flees to Canada on ‘fake papers’
Woman harassed for dowry in Amritsar
Amritsar, March 8
For Rajni marriage to a youth here turned out to be a nightmare. Besides harassment by her in-laws for dowry, her husband left her and immigrated to Canada, allegedly on the basis of fake documents.

POLITICS

Mann visits post-poll violence victims
Gurdaspur March 8
SAD (A) president Simranjit Singh Mann today visited the victims of post-election violence in the Fatehgarh Churian area of the district today. He visited septuagenarian couple Mohinder Singh and Lakhbir Kaur in Haruwal village whose house by demolished by supporters of the SAD in post-election violence.

BJP accuses Centre of ignoring Malwa belt
Sangrur, March 8
Vice president of the district unit of the BJP Jatinder Kalra and some other leaders of the party, including district secretary Bhagat Singh and BJP municipal councillor Surinder Singh Pappu, today asked the Central government to cover nine districts of the Malwa region under its Rozgar Guarantee Scheme (RGS) as it had covered only Nawan Shahar, Jalandhar and Amritsar districts so far.

Chandumajra, Mann PAC members
Chandigarh, March 8
SAD president Parkash Singh Badal has appointed Baldev Singh Mann and Prem Singh Chandumajra as members of the political affairs committee (PAC) of the party.

COMMUNITY

‘Only women can end foeticide’ 
Moga, March 8
Expressing concern over the increasing cases of female foeticides in the country particularly in Punjab, Amarjit Singh Johal, a senior judge of Birmingham courts in the United Kingdom, here today said only women could put an end to this inhuman practice.

Inquiry against erring Shatabdi staff
Jalandhar, March 8
A day after The Tribune exposed the nexus running by the travelling ticket examiners (TTEs) in the Swarn Shatabdi Express (Amritsar to Delhi), providing seats to travellers travelling without ticket after accepting bribes, an enquiry in this regard has been ordered by the railway authorities.

Incomplete stadium turns into garbage yard
Mansa, March 8
Even as the successive state governments promised to promote budding sports talent and provide them all amenities, an under-construction sports stadium had been crying for attention for the past about 10 years here.

Keshopur wetland may be reserve forest Gurdaspur, March 8 The wildlife authorities of the state have finally woken up to the need of protecting the biodiversity-rich wetland areas of Gurdaspur district. The wildlife authorities have recorded the arrival of a large number of migratory birds this winter in Keshopur Chamb of the district comprising Keshopur, Magar mudian, Dalla, Matwan and Miani villages and Shalla Pattan wetland near Tibri cantonment.

A pair of sarus cranes and other migratory birds at Keshopur wetland of Gurdaspur district. — A Tribune photograph

COURTS

Five-year jail for head constable
Muktsar, March 8
Additional session judge fast track PP Singh sentenced a Punjab police head constable five-year imprisonment and also slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 in an attempt to murder case.

AGRICULTURE

Fallout of water pact issue: Farmers resume stir
Abohar, March 8
Scared over the threat of stoppage of water from Punjab, farmers in neighbouring districts of Rajasthan have resumed a stir. The Kisan Sangharsh Samiti gave a call to the farmers, including those who migrated from border areas to Rajasthan due to terrorism in Amritsar-Taran Taran in 1984-1992, to court arrest and warned proposed termination of Section 5 of the water agreement would ruin Punjabi farmers settled at the tailend of Indira Gandhi canal and Bikaner/Gang canal.

More farmers take to contract farming
Chandigarh, March 8
A proper contract mechanism with a legal binding will ensure that more and more farmers take to contract farming, which has helped the farmers in Punjab gain a better price for their crops. Contract farming has also helped in the diversification of crops from the wheat- paddy cycle.

ADMINISTRATION

Beas SHO suspended
Amritsar, March 8
SHO of the Beas police station Ved Parkash was suspended by the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) yesterday for refusing to give VIP duty. Earlier also, an SHO of the Beas police station was suspended during elections in the constituency.

CRIME

Teenager kills self to escape marriage
Ropar, March 8
A 16-year-old girl, Rupinder Kaur, committed suicide as she was ebing forced by her father to marry a 35-year-old man. She jumped into the Sirhind canal and drowned.

Seven injured in clash
Sangrur, March 8
In a reported clash between two groups, allegedly belonging to the SAD and the Congress, about seven persons were injured at Bhawanigarh today.

EDUCATION

Journalists visit GNDU
Amritsar, March 8
A delegation of journalists from 22 countries visited the Guru Nanak Dev University campus here today and had a lively discussion on the various academic issues concerning higher education in India with Vice-Chancellor Jai Rup Singh and other senior faculty members.