Jalandhar, March 4
A group of protesters today reportedly turned violent as they hurled stones and bricks damaging vehicles of the passersby across the road just outside the district administrative complex here.

Members of the Shri Guru Ravi Dass United Action Committee were holding a dharna against a vernacular paper inside the complex when a mob of a dozen odd youths created ruckus outside the complex. The protesters were demanding action against the newspaper for allegedly aggravating religious sentiments of the Ravi Dass followers.

The headlight of a motorcycle of a passerby got broken. Two scooter-borne men were manhandled by the miscreants. The youths seemed to have gone berserk as they even tried to uproot tree guards along the divider of the road outside the complex. SHO Vibhor Kumar reached the site and warned the youths. He told them that a videography was being done and all those identified therein would be booked under relevant sections. SP (headquarters) Satinder Singh and DSP Mukhwinder Singh also reached the spot.

Among those addressing the gathering inside the complex were Ajay Kumar, convener of the committee, Vijay Kumar Sampla, BJP leader, and Pawan Kumar Tinu, a Dalit leader. 

Kapurthala, March 4
An adolescent girl Rekha (16) and her lover Jatinder Singh (20) committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance at Begowal village of Kapurthala district on Monday night.

When the parents and relatives of the girl came to know about the incident, they threw her body into the Beas river in the wee hours of Tuesday.

However, the police took the boy’s body into its possession and sent it to the Kapurthala civil hospital for postmortem examination, said Bholath DSP Balbir Singh while talking to The Tribune.

Jatinder Singh of Jand Sarai village, falling under Bhogpur police station of neighbouring Jalandhar district, and Rekha of Begowal had fallen in love some time back but the family members of the girl were not in favour of their marriage.

This is stated to be the reason of the lovers entering into a suicide pact. Jatinder went to Rekha’s house and committed suicide on Monday night.

When the parents came to know about the incident, they threw the girl’s body in the Beas river with the help of some influential persons of the area.

Confirming this, DSP Balbir Singh said both Jatinder and Rekha belonged to poor families and were distant relatives.

A suicide note was recovered from the boy’s pocket which stated that their family members should not be harassed and requested that they should be cremated together.

Answering a query, DSP said appropriate legal action would be taken against the family members of the girl and others who, instead of informing the police, threw the body into Beas.

The family members were absconding, he said.

Further, he said no action would be taken against the family members on the charge of abetment to suicide as the suicide notes of Jatinder and Rekha had clearly talked about that. 

Amritsar, March 4
A man accidentally killed his 12-year-old daughter with his rifle at Mahawa village here. The Gharinda police have registered a case under section 304 of the Indian Penal Code against the father, Onkar Singh.

According to information, Onkar Singh was cleaning the barrel of his rifle at his residence without knowing that a cartridge was still in the barrel.

His daughter Sandeep, a class eight student, was studying in front of him when the incident took place.

She was rushed to hospital where she succumbed to injuries a day after.