Hoshiarpur, January 16
Upkar Singh (43), a resident of Dashmesh Nagar, Ludhiana, and Rajwinder Kaur (41), a resident of Mundian Sarhala, Bulhowal, allegedly committed suicide in a hotel room here yesterday night.

A suicide note has also been recovered. Rajwinder’s husband is in Saudi Arabia and both were parents of three children from their respective marriages, according to the police.

The duo had instructed the hotel attendant to wake them up because they had to go to pay obeisance at Chintpurni.

The room attendant informed hotel owners when he failed to wake them up in the morning, says the police.

A police party then entered in the room by breaking its window pane and found their bodies lying on the bed. The suicide note left by them reads, “Our last wish is that we should be cremated together so that our souls may unite in heaven.”

The two arrived in Hotel Maharaja in car number PB-10AB-3334 yesterday evening.

Their bodies were recovered lying on the bed in the morning today. A police party entered in the room by breaking its window pane and found their bodies on the bed.

The police sent the bodies to Civil Hospital for post mortem. A case has been registered under section 174 of the Cr PC.

Jalandhar, January 16
Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal today said there was no need to hand over the investigation of the four Kanya Maha Vidyalaya (KMV) murder cases, including that of the principal, to the CBI even as the district police has failed to crack it in 10 days’ time.

Badal, who was here to attend a marriage function, said he believed that the police was fully equipped to handle the case and bring the guilty to the book.

The CM defended the Punjab police again when he was asked about the rising crime in the state.

“Crime is on the rise all across the country and unemployment is actually to be blamed. We are asking for assistance from the Centre on this matter”, he said adding that he had called up a meeting of SSPs to ask them to remain more alert so that the situation remains under control.

On the occasion, Badal revealed that SAD MPs had shot off a letter to the Prime Minister seeking an appointment with France President Nicholas Sarkozy, who is expected to visit India on the Republic Day.

He said the party leaders wanted to discuss the issue of turban ban with him. Badal said he had also urged the PM to take up the matter himself as he also represented the Sikh community.

Over the issue of appointment of chairmen of boards, corporations and improvement trusts, he said the names would be out in a month’s time. He said sharing of posts between the ruling allies SAD and BJP would remain the same as was in the previous tenure.

Badal hinted that the agro-industrial policy would be framed very soon and there was a possibility to extend the railway freight corridor up to Amritsar, rather than limiting it to Ludhiana.

Jalandhar, January 16
The BCCI and ICL may have been on loggerheads with one another but the latter is now appreciating the way the board has handled the issue of imposition of ban on Harbhajan Singh for his alleged racial remarks against Australian player Andrew Symonds.

Director of ICL and former test cricketer Balwinder Singh Sandhu, who had come to the city to attend a private function on Wednesday, said, “We extend our support to the BCCI for the unwarranted action against Harbhajan Singh. In fact, all Indian cricketers are supporting him on this critical issue”. Repeatedly insisting that he was talking only as a former Indian player and not in the capacity of ICL director, Sandhu said the BCCI needs to make it clear to the ICC that “monkey and donkey” were not racial remarks in the Indian context as people there may be taking it. He said it was unfortunate that the game was suffering badly owing to such controversies.

“I am with the BCCI for its tough stand but I do not support the way they decided to pull out its players from the game. I understand that this was only a pressure tactic but there are other ways too. I also blame the Australian and Indian media for over-reacting on the issue. I wonder why people here have been burning effigies to lodge their protest and the media is also giving undue coverage to such issues”, he made his point adding that such events affect the game further.

“Bucknor has had a good record of umpiring for the past 10 to 15 years. But it may have been out of sheer pressure that he failed to deliver the right judgement in that match. It is not fair to crucify an umpire who has performed so well in the past”, he said.

Sandhu suggested, “As a cricketer, I want both captains Anil Kumble and Ricky Ponting to sit together and sort out the matter. They need to work out ways so that such controversies do not erupt again in the gentleman’s game”. 

Amritsar, January 16
The Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, Dehati Mazdoor Sabha City (Pb) and Young Women wing of the CPM (Pb) would organise Punjab bandh on February 16 in protest against the anti-people policies of the state and the central governments.

Addressing the gathering here on Wednesday, Rattan Singh Randhawa, district secretary of the CPM said marches were being held in 80 villages of Amritsar and Tarn Taran to expose the anti-people policies of the government with regard to the privatisation of the Punjab State Electricity Board, education, health services, water supply and construction of roads. Randhawa urged the people to unite and resist these policies which are badly affecting the common man in the state.

He said the party workers would gherao the offices of the deputy commissioners in the state on January 31. — OC

Phagwara, January 16
The police succeeded in solving the blind murder of a Ranipur village resident, Kamaljeet, alias Kamal, who had gone missing under mysterious circumstances on November 28 last year.

DSP Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh said three persons were responsible for Kamal’s kidnapping and murder.

Two of them, Lekh Raj of Kanshi Nagar here and Jaswinder Singh, alias Jassa, of Tajpur village in Jalandhar, were arrested, while the third accused, Ravinder Singh, alias Rinku, resident of Ranipur village in Phagwra subdivision, committed suicide on December 1 last year, he added. They killed Kamal by giving him poison in tea. Later, Rinku disposed off the body by throwing it at some abandoned place, he added.

Khakh said Rinku and Lekh Raj had been working as travel agents for the past decade. Kamal was asking them to repay Rs 4 lakh taken through him from a youth in the name of sending him abroad or send him abroad.

An FIR under section 364 of the IPC was registered at Sadar police station. Now section 302 of the IPC has also been added to the FIR.

Hoshiarpur, January 16
The weaker sections of the society, particularly Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes, have no proper and due representation in the SAD-BJP government as well as in the state administration due to which they are not getting the announced benefits.

This was stated by president of the Bahujan Samaj Morcha (BSM) Satnam Singh Kainth while talking to mediapersons heretoday.

The weaker sections have no say. Leaders of all political parties have exploited them to garner votes.

The BSM had started a campaign to bring persons of the weaker section, irrespective of their caste and religion, under its fold so that it could become a force to dictate its term to any of the political party for benefiting them.

The BSM would organise a state-level workers’ conference at Banga on March 8 to finalise a strategy in the regard.

On account of financial crisis in the state, the Punjab government had discontinued funds to all beneficial schemes for SC/BC.

Kainth opposed the amendment to the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act. The panchyat elections should be held on the old pattern, he said.

Replying to a question, he said he had a great regard for the late Kanshi Ram, founder of the BSP, and present chief of the party Mayawati, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

But the repeated claims by state leaders of the BSP during any of the elections for coming in power had vanished their credibility. In the present setup, no single party could form government alone. Only coalition government could be formed, claimed Kainth.