Sir Anerood Jugnath, President of the Republic of Mauritius, comes out after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

Doctor on duty beaten up, BSP leaders arrested
Hoshiarpur, December 15
General secretary of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Punjab, Onkar Singh Jhamat, district secretary Somnath and city president Ranbir Singh were arrested yesterday by the Model Town police in an FIR No. 269 registered under Sections 353, 332, 506, 147 and 149, IPC, on a complaint of an emergency duty doctor of the local Civil Hospital Dr Naresh Kumar in which the latter alleged that the aforesaid persons created obstacles and beat him while he was performing his duty.

City Centre Scam
VB likely to file challan against Chahal, others
Ludhiana, December 15
The Vigilance Bureau is reportedly preparing a supplementary challan in the multicrore City Centre Scam in which B.I.S. Chahal, former media adviser to Amarinder Singh, an alleged conduit Capt Rajesh and some prominent political personalities could be named.

Spinal Injury Centre
Punjab okays Rs 2.8 cr
Chandigarh, December 15
The Regional Spinal Injury Centre, the exclusive centre for the treatment of the spinal injuries in the region, is set to go on fast track with the Punjab Government approving an amount of Rs 2.8 crore for the creation of the state-of-the-art infrastructure.

French court upholds turban ban
Fatehgarh Sahib, December 15
Despite strong protests by various Sikh organisations across the globe, France's highest court, the Conseil d’Etat, in a recent verdict has upheld the ban on turbans in schools. The court has ruled that the ban was legal as there was a greater interest to be served in preserving secularity than a religious belief.

Jalalabad: Founded by Akbar, ruined by encroachments Jalalabad (Tarn Taran), December 15 It is a sad story of a town losing out to negligence. It was founded by Mughal emperor Jalal-ud-din Mohammed Akbar. Even as many heritage buildings of the town have lost their existence, residents of this ancient town have encroached upon some invaluable sites. So much so that the nambardar of the village has been misusing the Diwan-e-Khas building for storing wheat straw. The elegant frescos in mosques and other heritage buildings have also been damaged due to negligence of the residents. Invaluable frescos in one of the ancient buildings at Jalalabad, which was founded by Mughal Emperor Akbar. — A Tribune photograph

POLITICS

Indiscipline in party won’t be tolerated, says Bhattal
Chandigarh, December 15
Former minister and spokesman of the Punjab Congress Jagmohan Singh Kang here today said Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, president, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, had taken a serious view of the unfortunate incident of indiscipline by some party workers and leaders on the occasion of staging a dharna at Ferozepur.

Rationale of Punjabi suba defeated: Mann
Sangrur, December 15
“The rationale of the Punjabi suba stands defeated as no demand of Punjab, including control over head works, transfer of Chandigarh and Punjabi-speaking areas to the state etc, has been fulfilled so far”.

COMMUNITY

Train-bus Accident
Villagers yet to come to terms
Chuhar Chak (Moga), December 15
Residents of Purana (old) and Nawa (new) Chuhad Chak remained under a pall of gloom and despair and many of them did not light their hearths. Pernicious impacts of the ghastly accident were visible on the faces of the natives and desolate stretch of the railway crossing.

Sikh intellectuals to launch campaign against social evils Chandigarh, December 15 The World Sikh Confederation, the Institute of Sikh Studies and the Kendri Sri Guru Singh Sabha here today decided to launch a sustained campaign against female foeticide, use of drugs by youth, suicide by farmers and casteism issues in Punjab. Sikh intellectuals at a convention held in Chandigarh on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

CM promises rly overbridge on Mukerian-Gurdaspur road
Mukerian, December 15
A railway overbridge on the Mukerian-Gurdaspur road will be constructed shortly. This was stated by the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at the bhog ceremony of Jathedar Pritam Singh Mukerian here, who was killed in a road accident on the same road on December 4.

‘Badal suppressing our voice’
Amritsar, December 15
Ram Singh, general secretary of the SAD (A), has alleged that the police is registering false cases against Opposition leaders in the state under directions from Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to suppress their voice.

Mauritius President pays obeisance at Golden Temple
Amritsar, December 15
“I had learned and listened a lot about the Golden Temple and it was my long cherished desire to visit this holy shrine, but did not get any opportunity before,” said Sir Anerood Jugnath, President of the Republic of Mauritius, after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple here today.

Ophthalmologic conference commences
Patiala, December 15
A state-level 11th Punjab Opthalmological Conference commenced at the Government Rajindra Hospital and Medical College Auditorium here today. Dr Ravinder Singh, vice-chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot, inaugurated it. 

COURTS

SAD (A) activists released
Patiala, December 15
About 56 SAD (A) activists, who were arrested yesterday in connection with the bandh call, were released from the jail here today on the directions of a local court. SAD (A) president Simranjit Singh Mann, along with office-bearers of the district unit of the SAD(A), reached the Central Jail to welcome the activists.