Kapurthala, November 5
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) is in favour of being exempted from getting information regarding a patient’s residential proof for ultrasound tests in case of an emergency.

In the wake of the new directions for doctors to stop sex determination test and femicide, representatives of the IMA, including its state council member Dr Vishal Sharma and Kapurthala district chief Dr Jaswant Singh Thind, gave this suggestion to Punjab health minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla at a meeting held here on Monday.

Sharma further suggested that the state government should not insist on getting a copy of the ration card as an identity proof of the patient and other proofs should also be made admissible.

Chawla assured them that their suggestions would positively be considered.

It may be recalled that the IMA had observed a strike on November 1 and 2 against conducting ultrasound on pregnant women in Punjab, against the new directions on ultrasound tests. The IMA is of the view that the responsibility of providing the identity or tracing the patient should not lie with the doctor.

During the meeting the health minister asked the private doctors and owners of the scanning centres not to perform tests which would encourage foeticide.

Chawla said the rich and upper middle class families were responsible for the decline in the sex ratio of females in Punjab. There were 908 girls against 1000 boys in 1983 in the state, followed by only 875 girls in 1991 and just 798 girls in 2001. However, a slight improvement was being observed as now there were 818 girls against 1000 boys in the state, she added.

Later, Chawla addressed a seminar on femicide and drug menace at Virsa Vihar. She also supervised the burning of drugs worth Rs 1.10 lakh at Hindu Kanya College. The drugs had been seized under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

Jalandhar, November 5
Former legislator Gurbinder Singh Atwal has criticised the police for harassing Congress workers besides shielding the accused named in several criminal cases.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Atwal said false cases were being registered against their workers while the policemen were not arresting hardcore criminals in the district.

“I have personally brought two cases to the notice of senior police officers where the police was in the know-how of the criminals but has failed to arrest them for obvious reasons. The stock reply is that they are working on the case and that the accused would be arrested soon,” he alleged.

Citing an example, he said he had informed the police that Kulwinder Singh, the main accused in the murder case of Gurbux Kaur of Khokhewal village, was roaming freely in the village but the police did not arrest him. The accused was openly claiming that he would not be arrested as he enjoyed political patronage, he added.

In the second case, 13-year-old Kulbir Singh was allegedly killed by two persons, Monu and Babloo, but the police was yet to make any arrest. Surprisingly, instead of registering a case of murder, a case of accidental death was registered, he said.

“If murders are being converted to mere accident cases, where will the people go to seek justice? In such sad state of affairs, the plight of the people can be well imagined,” he added.

“It seems that jungle law is prevailing in the state and the police is being used to settle political scores,” 
he alleged.

Tarn Taran, November 5
Five youths snatched Rs 25,000 from Hakumat Rai, a commission agent, at Fatehbad township today. The snatchers injured the agent with a knife before fleeing.

The police has identified all accused. A case under sections 397, 148 and 149 of the IPC has been registered at Goindwal police station.

Baljinder Singh, DSP, Goindwal, said the accused were Lovpreet Singh, Ravinder Tejpal, Vijay (all three of the same township), Sukhchain Singh of Bharowal and a migrant labourer.

The DSP said Hakumat Rai was admitted to a hospital.

Amritsar, November 5
The dental colleges of Amritsar secured eight top positions in seven events of the boys and girls, besides winning folk dance competitions on the concluding day of the three-day All-India Dental Students Conference here yesterday.

While Government Dental College (GDC), Amritsar, won the first position for bhangra, Shri Guru Ram Dass Dental College (SGRD), Amritsar, stood second. It was a close competition as Christian Dental 
College (CDC), Ludhiana, won the top position in the dental quiz in which 21 teams from India participated. The second position was won by DAV Dental College, Yamunanagar.

Punjab health minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla gave away the prizes to winners.

As many as 55 scientific papers were read on the occasion. Gaurav Gupta of Dental College, Jaipur, stood first with his paper on “exploring promise and peril stem cells (boon and bone)” while both second positions went to Amritsar dental colleges, Harneet Grewal of the SGRD and Mittali of the GDC.

Harneet's topic “Chocolate mousse or tooth mousse, you choose” was especially interesting.

While students of Dashmesh Dental College, Faridkot, sashayed on 
cat-walk gracefully and won the fashion show, students of Genesis Dental College, Ferozepore, too glided stylishly and clinched the second position. The orchestra competitions saw the troupe of Arjun Sehgal of the MGV, Nasik, play to the galleries winning the top position while Sumangal Arora’s group from the LBD, Ludhiana, stood second. Nitika Sood of the BJS, Ludhiana, came first in the solo dance competition, while Sarvpriya Sanwgan of the SGPDC, Gurgaon, came second. Nitika Sood of the BJS, Ludhiana, bagged the first position in choreography and Samidha of the GDC, Amritsar, won the second position.