J A L A N D H A R

Jalandhar, April 28 More than 25 passengers were lucky enough to escape unhurt after the bus they were travelling in caught fire just a few metres away from the local bus stand, here on Saturday evening.

Love Marriage
Villagers ‘unleash’ wrath on couple
Jalandhar, April 28
Annoyed over love marriage of a village couple, panchayat of Mansoorpur Badala village, falling under Aadampur police station, allegedly blackened their faces and paraded them before the villagers.

Govt urged to mark Bhai Ghaniya Ji day
Jalandhar, April 28
Bhai Ghaniya Ji Mission, Hoshiarpur, has urged the Punjab government to observe the anniversary of Bhai Ghaniya, a great saviour of mankind, on September 20 by ensuring undertaking of public welfare activities on that day government and semi-government organisations instead of making the day a public holiday. 

Alfa Mahendru

Truck-scooter collision leaves scribe dead              
Jalandhar, April 28
A truck-scooter collision left Alfa Mahendru (19) dead near Kishan Pura Chowk here today.The driver of the truck managed to flee. An FIR has been registered against the unknown driver at police division number three in this regard.

Jaundice: Politicians play blame game
Phagwara, April 28
Although five more cases of jaundice have been detected in Onkar Nagar here but the politicians are busy playing blame games.

Teen gang raped in Phagwara
Phagwara, April 28
A young girl in her teens, of nearby Jagatpurjattan village was allegedly gang raped near here. Reports lodged with police today claim that the girl was abducted by Kalu of Mahalan village and his three friends last week, who kept the girl in a room at Goraya and raped her regularly. They threatened to kill her if she raised alarm.

Miraculous escape for 25 as bus catches fire
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 28
More than 25 passengers were lucky enough to escape unhurt after the bus they were travelling in caught fire just a few metres away from the local bus stand, here on Saturday evening.

The bus belonging to Hoshiarpur-based Doaba transport company was reduced to ashes in no time. According to sources, the fire broke out minutes after the bus (bearing registration number PB 07 G 3095) left the bus stand for Hoshiarpur.

As many as five fire tenders were pressed into service to control the blaze. Talking to The Tribune, SP City- I S.K. Kalia said, “The leakage of diesel from one of the pipes could have resulted in the fire.”

While the district police is terming the fire a mere accident, the possibility of use of chemical bomb cannot be ruled out, especially in wake of two similar blasts in the last one year. The incidents had left as many as four persons dead and 13 injured.

When asked, IG Kalia denied the possibility of use of chemical bomb. Interestingly, cops had earlier too ruled out militants’ hand behind blasts in the buses. However, in a press conference held in June last year the then SSP Ishwar Singh had admitted that the blasts were acts of sabotage carried out by Ranjit Singh Neeta’s Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF).

The revelation was made after the arrest of one Satnam Singh Satta, owing allegiance to KZF, from Shahkot. Ishwar Singh had said instead of using the more common RDX or any other explosive, the KZF used a low-potency mixture of sulphur, potassium, potassium permanganate and sulfuric acid capsules to affect the blasts. 

Love Marriage
Villagers ‘unleash’ wrath on couple
Dharmendra Joshi/Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 28
Annoyed over love marriage of a village couple, panchayat of Mansoorpur Badala village, falling under Aadampur police station, allegedly blackened their faces and paraded them before the villagers.

According to sources, the panchayat was against the marriage of Gurjot Singh with Poonam Kaur.

The members felt that since both the girl and boy belonged to same village they should be treated as brother and sister. “Their marriage has set a wrong example for the village youths,” they added.

Gurjot, who has been living with his mother Balbir Kaur for the last 18 years, told The Tribune that he married Poonam Kaur on April 15 after about three years of courtship.

“Everything was going fine till April 25 when we were summoned by the panchayat. The members used abusive language and subsequently paraded us in the village after blackening our faces,” alleged Gurjot, adding that the panchayat had also told them to leave the village.

Since then, we have been staying in our relative’s house in Nawanshahr, he said.

When contacted, village sarpanch Atma Singh admitted that the panchayat had been called over the issue but denied that couple was humiliated. Neither they were told to leave the village, he added.

He said over 200 villagers had objected to the marriage. “Firstly, the boy was a minor. Also boys and girls living in a same village are considered brothers and sisters. Their marriage had set a wrong precedence.”

Gurjot Singh has brought the matter to the notice of SSP Arpit Shukla who has marked the case to DSP Rural I Kulwant Singh.

Police have registered a case and arrested six persons including the sarpanch, his wife Narinder Kaur, panches Amrik Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Harvinder Singh and Sawaran Singh.

Govt urged to mark Bhai Ghaniya Ji day
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 28
Bhai Ghaniya Ji Mission, Hoshiarpur, has urged the Punjab government to observe the anniversary of Bhai Ghaniya, a great saviour of mankind, on September 20 by ensuring undertaking of public welfare activities on that day government and semi-government organisations instead of making the day a public holiday. 

Truck-scooter collision leaves scribe dead
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 28
A truck-scooter collision left Alfa Mahendru (19) dead near Kishan Pura Chowk here today.

The driver of the truck managed to flee. An FIR has been registered against the unknown driver at police division number three in this regard.

The deceased was a stringer with a Hindi daily and doing bachelor of journalism from Doaba College. She was on her way to the college to appear for her annual examination when the collision took place. 

Jaundice: Politicians play blame game

Phagwara, April 28
Although five more cases of jaundice have been detected in Onkar Nagar here but the politicians are busy playing blame games.

Meanwhile, nagar council XEN Pawan Sharma said three bucketing and two suction machines have been engaged for cleaning the sewerage. Punjab chief parliamentary secretary Avinash Chander visited the town today. He inspected the working of civil hospital, ESI hospital, expressed his satisfaction and visited the jaundice effected areas of Onkar Nagar and Shivpuri.

The health authorities urged him to provide hot line power supply in civil hospital, depute a radiologist and provide sufficient X-ray films for the civil hospital.

Blaming the health department, former MLA Joginder Singh Maan said the two deaths were the result of negligence of the health department, while health authorities have claimed that quick action and preventive measures taken by health department had succeeded to save the lives of poor residents of the effected areas.

Punjab social justice minister Ch Swarana Ram alleged that NC was being ruled by the Congress and it did not do much preventing the disease. The council did nothing for the welfare of the people during its rule. — OC

Teen gang raped in Phagwara

Phagwara, April 28
A young girl in her teens, of nearby Jagatpurjattan village was allegedly gang raped near here. Reports lodged with police today claim that the girl was abducted by Kalu of Mahalan village and his three friends last week, who kept the girl in a room at Goraya and raped her regularly. They threatened to kill her if she raised alarm.

The girl succeeded to flee from the clutches of rapists and reached her village on April 26 after which she was medically examined at local civil hospital.

The police have registered a case under Section 376 of the IPC against Kalu and three accomplices but no arrest has been made till so for. — OC