Jalandhar, July 21
The district police has rescued city trader Ashok Madaan from his kidnappers within four days of his kidnapping. He was rescued from the dera of a notorious criminal, Shamsher Singh, alias Shera, at Khiala village, falling under Lopoke police station in Tarn Taran district.

Talking to mediapersons, SSP Arpit Shukla said the police had also detained two persons guarding the dera and preventing the trader from escaping. A .315-bore rifle was also recovered from them.

The SSP said the police was verifying their role in kidnapping and they were also being questioned to identify the other kidnappers.

The SSP said the trader was kidnapped for ransom but the kidnappers could not make any call for the same to his family as the police started building pressure on them by laying nakas at several places in Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts as the police had got an initial clue about his position from a mobile at Khosa village in Amritsar district.

However, in an attempt to misguide the police, the abductors abandoned Madaan’s Skoda car and the Indica car, which was used for kidnapping, in Batala on Friday. The police had constituted several parties headed by SP (city I) S.K. Kalia, SP (traffic) Rakesh Kaushal and SP (D) P.S. Pawar to solve the case. Adampur SHO Jasbir Singh Randhawa also played an important role in rescuing the trader.

In reply to a question, Arpit Shukla said the police had come to know from the initial information that several cases had already been registered against Shera but it was not clear whether he had been involved in any militant activity. The police was checking his previous record.

The role of the driver of the trader was also being investigated, the SSP said. Madaan said the kidnappers behaved well with him, except in the beginning. He said he was returning after collecting Rs 1.10 lakh from a person at Chandpur village in Una district when he was kidnapped near Jandushinga, falling under Aadmpur police station.

Jalandhar, July 21
Now when it is clear that there are just 18 days left in the MC polls, the ruling combination in the state, the SAD (B) and BJP, today started the selection process of the candidates.

Having announced their seat share, the leaders of both parties held interviews of their respective candidates for the total 60 wards. Over 150 BJP candidates, vying to get a seat from any of the 35 wards allotted to the party and nearly 75 Akali candidates for 15 wards allotted to them, appeared for the interview before the panelists.

The SAD held the interviews in circuit house and the BJP organised its sessions at Sheetla Mandir and later at a hotel. The combine yesterday announced the seat share but there is still a rift over 10 wards between the parties. The confusion over ward number 41 still lingers on.

The panelists for the SAD included senior vice-president of the party Gurdev Badal, former minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan, MLAs Jagbir Brar, Avinash Chander and Sarabjit Makkar, and SAD district president Gurcharan Singh Channi. Those conducting interviews for the BJP were local bodies minister Manoranjan Kalia, MLAs K.D. Bhandari and B.C. Lal, party district president Shiv Dyal Chugh and state secretary Vijay Sampla. 

Jalandhar, July 21
In what may harm ruling SAD-BJP prospects, several expelled local BJP leaders have decided to constitute a front and contest the forthcoming Jalandhar Municipal Corporation elections scheduled to be held on August 8. These leaders had been expelled for their alleged anti-party activities during last assembly elections.

At a meeting held here today, these expelled BJP leaders decided to contest on 13 municipal council wards falling under Jalandhar Central Assembly constituency, being represented by Punjab local bodies minister Manoranjan Kalia.

BJP had expelled as many as its 28 local leaders, including some mandal and ward presidents for their alleged anti-party activities during the assembly elections as they reportedly supported an independent candidate from Jalandhar Central constituency.

The expelled leaders have decided to field strong candidates against those BJP candidates who are probables for the post of mayor, including Ravi Mahendru and Zimmi Kalia of the ruling alliance, sources added. Another meeting of the expelled BJP leaders would be held on Sunday where the name of the front is likely to be finalised.

These leaders have also decided to hold a press conference within coming days to expose those BJP leaders who allegedly instigated them to indulge in anti-party activities on the assurance that they would be taken back in the party after the assembly elections.

Interestingly, those very BJP leaders are now playing important role in distributing BJP tickets for the forthcoming MC elections, according to sources.

Jalandhar, July 21
Nearly 31 students of class X of Mayor World School and their parents are a worried lot as they have not yet been given permission to sit for the CBSE examination at the end of this session. The school has just got the affiliation but the current batch of class X students is not eligible for appearing as board students, as per the present status.

The school authorities had admitted the students in class VIII three years back, hoping that they would manage affiliation by the time students enter class X. But the process got delayed much to the disappointment of the first batch.

The students and their parents have a bigger reason to worry as their principal G. Bindra, whom they were banking upon, too has left the school at the time of need. School owner Rajesh Mayor confirmed this to The Tribune today, saying, “She is no longer with us. We are looking for a new principal. I do not know whether she has joined a school in Hisar or not.”

Parents said their children were very upset. “They come from school in a very disturbed mood. We have stopped asking them about a progress in this regard. They are unable to concentrate in their studies and often keep asking us of the repercussions in case the things do not take a positive turn,” lamented a parent.

The parents said that most of them had got their children here from Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, and boarding schools in Dalhousie and Sanawar in class VIII. “That time we were assured that our children would sit as board students in class X. Never had we imagined that the situation would take such a drastic turn when we have been paying an amount close to Rs 5,000 per month hoping for good education of our children,” rued a father of another class X student.

“At this stage, no other school is ready to accept our children. The schools affiliated with CBSE, ICSE or PSEB have to get their children registered in class IX as per the new regulation. We cannot sit quietly if the crucial year of our children is lost for no fault of theirs,” parents said, adding that they had already written a letter to the CBSE requesting for a special permission of their children.

Mayor, who is also a sports goods manufacturer, said he had already filed a writ petition against the board, the hearing of which was due on July 30. He said trying to contact the HRD officials to avail permission for them.