The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Himachal Pradesh Edition

	2,000 constable posts to fight force crunch: DGP Amarjit Thind Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 8 Punjab DGP NPS Aulakh said 2,000 vacant posts of constables would be filled in the coming days following orders from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He was in Kapurthala to deliver the keynote address at the convocation of the Hindu Kanya College today. Aulakh said a sum of Rs 24 crore would be spent on modernisation of the force. The deficiencies in the present set up would be removed in the coming months and more emphasis would be laid on grievance redressal at the police station level. The Centre has pooled in 75 percent of the amount, while the rest has been contributed by the state, he said. Elaborating on the recruitment process, he said 1,000 posts would be filled from among the serving SPOs who were matriculates. As many as 500 posts were reserved for women and the rest for the youth. This would go a long way in removing the manpower shortage at the constable level in the force, he added. A fresh recruitment policy, wherein posts could be filled till the inspector level, has been drafted and sent to the government, he revealed. Commenting on instances of non-redressal of complaints at police stations, he said they were taking a serious view of such digressions. “I appeal to the people to correspond with me directly so that the erring officials could be pulled up,” he said. Ragarding checks on cyber crime, he said one police station would be set up in each district to deal exclusively with such offences. Trained manpower would be stationed here so that white-collar crimes do not go undetected and unpunished, he added. Aulakh said 64 police stations in the state were now equipped to register FIRs online while work on another 34 would be completed in the coming days. Complainants need not go to police stations to get complaints registered, as the same facility would be available at the click of a mouse, he said. Similarly, more staff would be trained under a scheme for computer education. “Here too the Centre and the government to the ratio of 75: 25 have contributed the funds,” he added. Admitting that some people abroad were still sending money to promote separatist activities, he said he would not like to elaborate further. He congratulated the college management for running an institution that enjoyed the highest rating the country. He also gave away degrees to 350 students on the occasion. Addressing the students, he exhorted them to study hard and excel in every field.
	Case Cracked Tenants behind murder of ex-HRTC staffer Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 8 With the arrest of three migrant labourers on Saturday evening, the police claimed to have cracked the blind murder of a Hazi Gulla resident. Division number 1 SHO Vibhor Kumar said the deceased Harmesh (62) had retired from the Himachal Pradesh Roadways Transport Corporation and had been living in his ancestral house in the locality. He had given a room in the house on rent to some migrants. It was Sumeet, deceased’s son, who came to know about the murder first. Sumeet, who had not been able to speak to his father from the last few days, called him up on Friday to enquire about his well-being. However, he failed to get any response. Sensing something amiss, Sumeet reached Jalandhar and when the door was opened, the badly decomposed body of Harmesh was recovered from a room in the house, said Vibhor. On enquiring from neighbors, the migrant tenants came under the scanner. Teams were sent around the city and the accused were nabbed from a house in the transport nagar area, he added. The accused have been identified as Samir Khan alias Raju, Bhola Khan and Sanjay Kumar, all residents of Uttar Paradesh. During interrogation, they said they had befriended and murdered Harmesh because of his gold ring and money they thought the deceased had stashed in the house, said the officer. On the intervening night of March 4 and 5, they all drank liquor and gave Harmesh an egg laced with a sedative. When he became unconscious, they killed him and took away the ring and Rs 1,100 in cash, the SHO said. Vibhor said the ring and cash has been recovered from the accused, who have been booked.
	International Women’s Day Needed: Legal rights awareness among women Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 8 The need to raise legal rights awareness among women was felt during a seminar to mark the International Women’s Day at St. Soldier Law College here on Saturday. The event was organised by the district legal services authority (DLSA). Speaking on the occasion, chief guest, Gurdev Singh, district sessions judge-cum-chairman of DLSA said women are outperforming men in every field. “All they need is a little awareness when it comes to rights,” he added. While discussing the Legal Services Authority Act, Varinder Aggrawal, civil judge (senior division)-cum-secretary DLSA said the SC/ST, women, children, and handicapped persons whose annual salary is less than Rs 50,000 can avail free legal assistance. He emphasised that even the Lok Adalats have proved to be of immense help to the women as the cases are disposed of on the spot. A large number of women and college students participated in the seminar.
	‘Get serious on gender equality’ Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 8 A programme on World Women’s Day was organised here by NGO Pahal in collaboration with the Innocent Hearts College of Education, here on Saturday. A declamation contest was held on the occasion, in which students from the college participated. The slogan - ‘gender equality, make it your business’, was promoted on the occasion. Prof Lakhbir Singh, president of Pahal apprised students of the importance of the day, “The eighth of March was originally named as the International Day for Women Rights and Peace by the UNO but it has been popularised as International Women’s Day by the masses.” “We have stereotyped images of men and women in our mind but we should use occasions like this to think of each other like human beings first and shed traditional clichés like women have to be beautiful and delicate and men tough and strong.” He emphasised on the fact that though women all over the world have the same kind of grievances, the ones in the east are undoubtedly the unluckier ones. “All the same, no special treatment should be meted out to women as that, in itself, would be a kind of discrimination,” Singh said. The president also talked about the issue of female foeticide and how it could be dealt with.
	Robbers’ gang busted Amritsar, March 8 With the arrest of three persons, district police today claimed to have busted a gang of robbers active in the Verka area. The accused have been identified as Sukhwinder Singh and Paramjit Singh of Fatehgarh Suker Chak and Sarif of Majra village of Gurdaspur. The gang members were nabbed by the police party from the new Sabji Mandi market when they were planning a robbery. Two gold chains, a pair of earrings, silver anklet, baseball bat, sword and iron rods have been recovered from their possession. Three of the gang members managed to escape. They are: Major Singh, Baljit Singh and Garibu, all resident of Fatehgarh Suker Chak. The accused confessed their involvement in four incidents of burglary. Raids are being carried out to arrest the other members, said a release issued to the press. A case has been registered. — OC
	Workers all set for PPCC Capital rally Amritsar, March 8 Hundreds of farmers, party workers from the Amritsar district would participate in the “Budget Chetna Rally” being organised by the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) at New Delhi on March 9. Stating this to the media here today, Sukhjinder Raj Singh (Lalli) Majithia said there was need to educate farmers on relief announced by the Centre. — OC