Jalandhar, October 30
The attack on an injured patient in the surgical ward of the civil hospital on Sunday night has raised questions on the security arrangements in the hospital.

Presently, only three security guards have been deployed in the emergency ward who are responsible for dealing with medico-legal report cases, besides informing the police stations concerned. However, there were a number of other wards in the multi-storey civil hospital which require security.

According to sources, some of the patients in these wards are victims of group clashes and there is always an impending fear of an attack by the rival groups as happened in the case of Vickey Singh of the Kot Baba Deep Singh locality who was assaulted by two persons, Captain and his brother Manu, of Civil Lines with sharp-edged weapons.

Interestingly, Vickey was admitted to the civil hospital a few days back after getting injured in a clash with Captain and Manu in the Sodal area.

Medical superintendent Ranbir Singh revealed that presently there was a system of blowing hooter in case of emergency security. The hooter’s sound is heard in Police Division 4, which sends a police team immediately. However, the system did not help in the recent case, he added.

Meanwhile, both Ranbir Singh and police station SHO Vibhor Kumar admitted that there was a need for more security in the civil hospital.

Talking about their efforts, Ranbir said he would soon take up the matter with the SSP However, despite repeated attempts none of the senior police officers, including SSP Arpit Shukla, were available for comments. 

Phagwara, October 30
Phagwara Police headed by DSP HPS Khakh today busted an inter-district gang of vehicle thieves and arrested its two main members, identified as Paramjit Singh of Kot Badal Khan village and Jagjit Singh alias Sonu of Rajowal village, under various sections of the IPC.

DSP Khakh said the police has impounded 15 stolen motorcycles and 4 scooters from their possession. He said police, on a tip off, reached the bus stand of nearby Darveshpind village, where the gang members were waiting for customers, and succeeded to nab them alongwith the big consignment of stolen scooters and motorcycles, which were to be sold with documents, including registration certificates. Khakh said the arrested gang members have confessed their crimes and disclosed that one of the accused Paramjit, who had returned from Malaysia a few months back, could not earn sufficient money there.

To repay the loans he had taken from different people, he hatched a conspiracy. With the help of Jagjit, he prepared a gang and started stealing vehicles which were being sold on cheaper rates and prepared fake RCs for them.

Owing to financial hardship, Jagjit, who earlier used to earn his living as a ‘Pathi’, joined hands with Paramjit and carried out series of thefts in Ludhiana and Phagwara. Police interrogations are on and several other disclosures are expected from the accused, the DSP said.

Jalandhar, October 30
A large number of SAD (A) activists revoked the expulsion of senior leaders by party president Simranjit Singh Mann some time back at a meeting held here today.

General secretary of the party Gurjatinder Pal Singh Bhikiwind convened a meeting at Model Town here today. The rank and file of the party were hurt at the decision to expel senior leaders like party vice-president Daljit Singh Bittu and others without assigning any reason. Such an act was arbitrary, undemocratic and had demoralised the workers, he pointed out.

“I had been approached by activists and other people to try and put an end to the infighting in the party,” he said. “Since the Badals have not done anything in the context of the Anandpur Sahib resolution, the onus is on us,” he said. A resolution passed on the occasion hailed and acknowledged the services of both Mann and Bittu towards the party and the people. A resolution was also passed revoking the recent expulsion of party leaders and workers.

The gathering also took note of developments in the party and condemned the alleged vilification campaign launched by certain vested interests.

Other resolutions passed today were to make efforts to bring reconciliation within various groups in the party, use the services of a fact-finding committee of Satnam Singh Baheru in resolving differences among senior leaders of the party and the need for establishing a more democratic set-up for running the party. 

Hoshiarpur, October 30
The police has cracked the dacoity case of Garhshankar area. The incident, which had happened at the residence of Satpal of ward No. 2 and claimed his brother’s life, turned out to be the handiwork of a relative of the deceased.

Giving details, SSP Anita Punj said during investigation, deceased Som Nath’s maternal nephew Tilak Raj of Denowal Khurd emerged as the main suspect, after which he was taken into custody. And during interrogation, he has confessed to the crime, which he carried out with the help of Harshpal of Denowal Khurd, Punj said.

The SSP said Tilak Raj was well aware that the entire family of Satpal had gone to Denowal Khurd for attending a marriage. Raj further revealed that when they were searching the room, Som Nath, the deceased, suddenly reached there. On seeing Som, they forcibly took him to the kitchen and murdered him by slitting the throat. After that they decamped with gold ornaments. The SSP said Tilak Raj, who has been sent to four-day police remand, had a criminal history. A case under Section 460 of the IPC had already been registered against him in the year 2006 at Sadar police station, Phagwara and at present he was on bail.

The other accused Harshpal was a son of notorious smuggler Kashmiri Lal, who is still at large. The incident had happened on the night of October 27, when Satpal along with his family members had gone to attend the marriage of his niece at Denowal Khurd village. His brother Som Nath, whose house is located nearby, was asked to take care of his house.

Hoshiarpur, October 30 
The group-C and groud-D employees of the postal department along with the postmen went on a day long strike here today. The strike was called by the All India Confederation of Central and State employees.

The employees led by Niranjan Singh, circle secretary, All India Post Employees Union, staged a dharna in front of the General Post Office in support of their demands. Criticising the central government, the union leaders blamed the Centre for adopting dilly-dallying approach towards their demands, which include implementation of interim relief and old pension scheme to all, no privatisation and filling up of vacant posts. — OC