Jalandhar, July 18
The district social welfare department declared itself “fund-crunched” today when around 35 persons from Nakodar and Lohian visited the office to get their long-
due cheques.

But even after waiting the whole day, they had to return empty handed.

When asked about the delay in issuing cheques, district social welfare officer Lakhwinder Singh said, “We have not received any grants from the government for a long time. How can then we make a payment?”

The beneficiaries of Ashirwad and house repair schemes, all of them belonging to the Scheduled Castes and BPL card holders, alleged they had been called to the office today.

They started arriving at the office at 9 am and since then they had to sit outside the whole day. Although a few were lucky to get chairs but a majority of them could manage only sacks to sit and the rest settled down on the floor. “We had brought the necessary documents,” they said.

Chhindo, a Shahkot resident, said she came to the office because she was called today by the office. “During the past five days, it is for the second time that we have been called here but only to sit and wait outside,” said Chhindo, who is yet to receive a cheque under the Ashirwad scheme for the marriage of her daughter Seema on December 10 last year. They said the officers left at 1.30 pm after informing them that they were going to Phillaur and would be back by 4 pm. But despite the assurance, the beneficiaries kept waiting till 5 pm before marching back.

Holding the wedding ceremony cards of their daughters, dating as old as October last year, the oldsters looked a disheartened lot.

Showing the marriage invitation card, Saradari Lal of Nakodar said, “My daughter got wedded on October 27, 2006, but we are yet to receive her shagun from the office.”

Sital from Manak village in Lohian pointed out, “Our sarpanch told us to collect the cheque from this office today. I was to receive Rs 15,000 for my daughter Amandeep Kaur who got married on November 15 last year.”

Sohan Lal of Mohalla Santokhpura in Nakodar said he had come to the office for the second time to receive an amount for repair of a temporary structure of his house but to no avail.

District social welfare officer Lakhwinder Singh said, “We had not called them. They just came on their own.”

Asked as to why did he ask them to wait till 4 pm, he said, “I had gone to Phillaur in connection with an inquiry case and I could not come back on time without completing my work. I had sent a message in this regard to my office and even to the PA of Congress MLA from Nakodar Amarjit Singh Samra.”

Jalandhar, July 18
The district police has allegedly nabbed a namesake of an old proclaimed offender (PO). Not only the name of the arrested person is same as that of the PO, but also the names of their fathers are same.

So much so, both are also the residents of the same Kabir Nagar locality but their addresses are reportedly different. Arrested person Des Raj’s wife Kailash Rani and son Varinder Bhagat alleged that sub-inspector Vijay Kumar arrested him on July 9 despite repeated requests that he was not that Des Raj who had been declared a PO by a local court.

Rani and Varinder also brought the matter to the notice of SSP Arpit Shukla on Wednesday. However, neither Shukla nor SP City II Sarabjit Singh could be contacted despite repeated attempts to know what action has been taken on their complaints.

On the other hand, talking to The Tribune Lambra SI Vijay Kumar claimed that the arrested person was the same PO and he had jumped bail about three decades ago.

Vijay Kumar said even head constable Satinder Singh had verified more than once before his arrest that he was the same PO. Claiming that the arrested person was the same PO as far as his information was concerned, but at the same time he did not rule out the possibility of mistake because of the similarity in their and their fathers’ names.

An FIR was lodged under section 61/1/14 of the Excise Act at Sadar police station on May 24, 1978, against Des Raj as 10 bottles of liquor were recovered from him at Sofi village and he was arrested on that day itself. Later, he was given bail but he did not join proceedings in the court and subsequently declared a PO.

After about 29 years, Lambra SI Vijay Kumar allegedly nabbed “another” Des Raj (65), who is suffering from paralysis, on July 9. Later when he was presented in the court, he was remanded in judicial custody.

As his condition was not well, he was referred to Civil Hospital. His family members requested the SSP to get the matter inquired and ensure Des Raj’s release at the earliest.

Varinder Bhagat said his father Des Raj had purchased their present house in 1982 and they shifted to this house three years later. Earlier, they were residing at Chapali Chowk in Bhargo camp. Des Raj retired from the FCI department in 2003, he added.

Amritsar, July 18
Raminder Kaur, mother of two, has demanded strict action against her husband who allegedly abandoned his family more than a year ago. . Barjinder Singh connived to sell off his property before abandoning his family. Since then Ramninder has been running from pillar to post for justice.

Representations to the authorities concerned have failed to evoke any response. Now, she has called for justice in a letter to the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and the district police chief, Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh. Kaur, resident of Guru Nanak Avenue here has alleged that the behaviour of her husband became hostile after a decade of marriage. She alleged that he used to thrash her many times under the influence of liquor. “But I continued to live with him in the hope that he would improve,” she said. She also alleged that he lived with her only to transfer and sell 20 kanals of land in Khasa village worth crores without her knowledge before abandoning them. She said she was thrown out of her house along with her children in March 2004 .

. She filed a complaint and fearing legal action, the man apologised for his behaviour. He also assured that he would fend for his family after Kaur started living with him. However, the man allegedly sold off property worth crores and abandoned h his family. Barjinder is missing since April 2006, says Kaur. She said even her in-laws refuse to disclose Barjhinder’s whereabouts.

Hoshiarpur, July 18
A local resident has held his brother-in-law and latter’s family responsible for death of his sister. In his complaint, Manjit Lal said his sister Kuljit Kaur was being tortured by her husband Anoop Kumar, his father Darshan Lal and sister-in-law Nisha. As a result, the woman allegedly committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance. Manjit said Anoop and Kuljit had got married in January this year. He alleged that Anoop had illicit relations with his sister-in-law Nisha. “Kuljit had expressed her strong objection to it and asked her husband to stay away from Nisha. However, Anoop in connivance with his father and Nisha started physically and mentally harassing Kuljit,” said Manjit. — OC