Bathinda, March 18
Coming down heavily on the dealers selling spurious seeds of different crops at a parallel market outside a kisan mela organised here today by Punjab Agricultural University, the Agriculture Department today confiscated more than 300 bags of seeds from five dealers.

According to Malkit Singh Bhullar, ADO, who conducted the raid, “Seven persons of Naveen Seeds (Karnal), Hara Seeds (Ludhiana), Garg Seeds (Ludhiana), Zamindara Kheti Centre (Ludhiana) and Bhatthal Seeds (Ludhiana) have been rounded up by the police. More than 300 bags of different varieties of paddy and cotton seeds have been confiscated.”

Sucha Singh Langah, agriculture minister, said, “These seed dealers will be charged by the police under the violation of the Seed Control Order.”

Manjit Singh Kang, vice-chancellor, PAU, said, “Such seeds are often sold outside kisan mela venues all over the state and PAU does not have any legal authority to stop or check them. Besides, these dealers don’t even give any proper bill to the farmers.”

Chief agriculture officer, Bathinda, Paramjit Singh said, “Every year we have been warning these dealers not to sell any seed without a licence. So this time we had to take action against them. Today, we made a team comprising two agriculture development officers and one block officer who conducted raids and confiscated the seeds.”

Ludhiana, March 18
The worrying phenomenon of brain drain that sucked trained talent out of India in the past two decades has gone reverse. Love for the motherland and zeal to pay back in some way to their alma maters has prevailed over the temptation of dollars and better standard of living abroad, moving many to return to the country.

Dr M.S. Kang, vice-chancellor, PAU

A few months ago Dr M.S. Kang, vice-chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), had returned from a lucrative international career in the USA to serve the university that was passing through a severe crisis. Now, some doctors are returning to rebuild the reputation of the 115-year-old CMC and Hospital.

A former Punjab police officer, Krishan Datt, who worked as fingerprint officer and crime scene analyst with the UK police, Nottinghamshire, has returned and taken up the job of chief security officer with DMC Hospital.

Krishan Datt, chief security officer, DMCH

A forensic expert with Punjab police, he was probably the first to be chosen in the UK police force but after spending a couple of years in England, the love for motherland forced him to come back.

Though he would have loved to join the Punjab police and help in crime detection and investigation based on his international experience, the disappointment of not getting the due regard did not discourage him.

He happily chose the DMC job. "I was earning Rs 2 lakh per month in England. But money was never any criterion. I felt after such high education and international experience, I should be serving my homeland, which needs the expertise, more than the developed countries."

Datt is also helping the Ludhiana police in setting up an international-level laboratory for scientific aid to investigation besides giving vital service as guest faculty to Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur, and Central Detective Training School, New Delhi.

As the CMC is passing through a severe crisis with the resignation of the chairman, principal and almost all the administrative committee members over allegations of financial bunglings, misuse of power, some doctors who had left the institution are forsaking lucrative careers abroad to serve the "mother" institution.

Dr Nalini Calton, wife of Dr Rajneesh Calton, another noted cardiologist who had gone to Toronto, Canada, said her husband would rejoin CMC later this year.

Sources close to Dr T.M. Jaison, a noted cardiologist, reveal he has sent feelers to return from Dubai.

Chandigarh, March 18
Leader of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has assured the Assembly of free and fair elections to gram panchayats, block samitis and zila parishads. His assurance came when the Opposition feared subversion of the election process on the grounds that the voter lists had not been released till date and the nominations were to be filed by March 24.

During the zero hour Partap Singh Bajwa of the Congress took the lead by pointing out that voter lists were being withheld with an ulterior motive. He went on to say the election of sarpanches had been scheduled a week after the April 7 poll which will lead to horse-trading. Further, Bajwa pointed out that the reservations in these elections were not being followed as per the 73rd Constitution amendment and in the Doaba area especially reservation in many villages had been withdrawn.

The Congress wanted rural development and panchayat minister Ranjit Singh Brahmpura to respond to these objections. When the minister chose to ignore the questions, Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon had to intervene to ask the minister if he wanted to reply. This led to commotion in the House with the Congress launching verbal attack on the minister forcing him to respond. In his reply, Brahmpura said the Congress was apprehensive of rigging because it had itself indulged in the practice during the last election. “But I assure the House of free and fair poll,” 
he added.

Unhappy with the reply and terming it incomplete and unsatisfactory, Brahm Mohindra of the Congress got up and pointed out that the deputy commissioners had so far not even notified the polls and the process being followed violated rules and was unfair to the backward classes. “A backward candidate cannot be elected sarpanch in the present poll, as rules are being ignored,” he said quoting rules.

At this point, leader of the Opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal got up to snub Jagdish Sawhney of the BJP, who she said had adopted a communal tone in his dialogue. She pointed out that hundreds of Congress workers were being thrown into jail to prevent them from participating in the poll process. She said she had brought such cases to the notice of the Chief Minister last night.

Reiterating the point made by Bajwa, Avtar Singh Brar of the Congress asked the Speaker if he had got the list of voters of his area. He demanded that the Chief Minister should clarify the government’s position on the matter.

At this Badal got up and assured the House instructions had been given to all officials to play a non-partisan role in the poll. “When Bibi Bhattal brought a case to my notice last night, I immediately called the SSP, Sunam, and directed him to ensure that no political worker is harassed or brought to jail,” he told the House, further assuring the legislators that they would see a poll which was fairer than any previous election in the state. 

Amritsar, March 18
The Ajnala police today arrested Baldev Singh Sirsa, special secretary-general, Shiromani Akali Dal (Panch Pardhani), as preventive measure and freed him on bail in the evening.

Sirsa levelled charge against SAD MLA Harmeet Singh Sandhu of smuggling drugs a few days back in a memorandum to Nirmal Singh Kahlon, speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha, through deputy commissioner K. S. Pannu.

Sirsa, who had planned a demonstration and submit a memorandum to Tarn Taran DC against the Akali MLA in Tarn Taran district today, was picked up from his house in Ajnala in the morning.

Iqbal Singh, district police chief, Amritsar (Rural), said he was taken into custody as a “preventive measure”.

Sirsa said he was arrested on fictitious charges. He claimed that Lakha Singh of the Garib Janta Dal from Tarn Taran was also held in Tarn Taran, but released soon.

Sarabjit: Family prays for release
Vibhor Mohan
Tribune News Service

Bhikhiwind (Tarn Taran), March 18
The picture of her father holding her in arms and gleefully pointing a finger at the camera is still etched in her memory. But for this sole reminder of their happy days, she has virtually no other memory of her beloved father, Sarabjit Singh, who she says, accidentally crossed over to Pakistan and now faces death penalty.

“My father had big plans for me and my little sister. In his last letter we received from him two years back, he had described how he dreamt of making us self-reliant someday,” says Swapandeep Kaur, who recently completed a course in housekeeping from a private institute in Jalandhar. “I was only two years old when mom says he entered the Pakistan territory while returning from the fields one night. In those days there used to be no fencing on the international border. After that, we have only got an occasional letter for him, which only deepened our grief,” she says with moist eyes.

Swapandeep is interrupted by the postman who hands over a bunch of letters addressed to her mother, Sukhpreet Kaur. “Look at this,” she points to the letter, “people have been suggesting us religious places where we can go and pray for our father’s release. We receive such letters and calls everyday. It goes to prove that the whole country believes that he is innocent.”

Chandigarh, March 18
Education minister Upinderjit Kaur today said in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha that “teaching fellows and education service providers are being recruited in the government upper primary and high schools on contract. They will be given Rs 4,550 per month and Rs 5,400 per month, respectively”.

To a question asked in this connection by Charanjit Singh Channi, MLA from Chamkaur Sahib, Upinderjit Kaur said the performance of all those recruited on contract would be assessed after three and half years and those found to be good in teaching would be absorbed in the department on regular basis on regular pay scale.

She said 10,000 such teaching fellows and service providers would be recruited. A decision in this regard had been taken after talking to representatives of unemployed trained teachers.

Raising question on panchayat land, proposed to be given on lease to industrialists at certain places, Iqbal Singh Jhunda asked rural development and panchayats minister Ranjit Singh Brhampura said there was no proposal to sell such land to industrialists. However, asking supplementaries, some of the MLAs asked the minister whether the industrialists, who would set up plants on leased land, would be given share from their income to panchayats concerned. The minister said the panchayat lands would not be given to industrialists on permanent basis and ownership of the land would stay with panchayat concerned. The MLAs opposed giving of panchayat land on lease to industrialists. They urged if any industrialist wanted to set up unit, he should buy the land from private parites.

To a question asked by Makhan Singh, sports minister Gulzar Singh Ranike said the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Sports Award would be given this year. 

Chandigarh, March 18
You would have dismissed it as just another story fit for a soap opera: A husband, infuriated by the “second marriage” of the girl he tied the knot with in childhood, abducts and rapes her for taking revenge. And, then pleads innocence on the ground that she was his legally wedded wife.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has now dismissed husband Makhan Ram’s appeal against the orders of his conviction and sentence. Appeals filed by all, but one, co-accused in the matter have also been dismissed.

The First Information Report in the matter was initially registered on July 17, 1996. The prosecution had claimed that the accused, a resident of Talwandi Sabo, had married the girl during their childhood. However, the girl was married off to another person before the “muqlawa” ceremony could be performed.

‘Muqlawa’ refers to the girl’s return from her father’s house with her husband. After a stay of few days, the girl goes back to her father’s house. The husband visits his father-in-law’s house and returns with his wife.

To avenge the insult due to the girl’s “second marriage”, Makhan Ram and some others carried out an attack and picked up the girl. In the process, a relative Sardana Ram sustained injuries and later died. The girl was confined for several days and raped by the accused, the prosecution had added.

Taking up the matter, Ferozepur’s additional sessions judge in December 1998 convicted Makhan Ram and four others. Makhan Singh was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and seven years for rape.

During the appeal filed by the accused, it was contended that Makhan Ram could not be held guilty of rape, as the girl was, in any case, his legally wedded wife even without ‘muqlawa’.

After hearing the arguments, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court comprising Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice S.D. Anand, held, “In view of the fact that the girl had entered into a second marriage, appellant Makhan Ram could not have had intercourse with her on the premise that she was his wife.”

The judges further held, “There is no dearth of law on the point that even during the subsistence of a marriage, a husband would be guilty of rape if he has intercourse with his estranged wife and without her consent.

The judges added, “In this case, the situation was far more grave in as much as the muqlawa ceremony never came to be performed and, thus, appellant Makhan Ram has to face the wrath of law for having forcibly taken her away from the custody of her present husband and for having intercourse with her without her consent during the period she was in his wrongful confinement.”

Before parting with the judgement, the judges added, “We allow the appeal preferred by appellant Baljit Singh, while the appeal preferred by others shall stand dismissed.”

Ropar, March 18
The corruption cases against the Badals and other SAD leaders have been shifted from Ropar to Mohali. The notification in this regard was pasted outside the court of special judge Ropar today.

Sources here said the cases had been shifted to the court now established at Mohali. Though Mohali district was carved out of Ropar, the district and sessions court of both districts continued to function at Ropar.

The superintendent of the special court said the cases against the Badals and other SAD leaders had been shifted on the orders of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Ludhiana, March 18
More than 30 hours after this three-year-old girl was raped by an unidentified "maniac", she is living the horror of the ghastliest act of crime every minute.

As if the beastly act of the rapist was not enough, he threw her on the roadside, leaving her to die. She was found profusely bleeding by a beggar, who brought her to the Civil Hospital late last night.

She spent the entire night in pain without her parents knowing about her condition. They kept looking for her and came to know about her in the evening only when they approached the Shimlapuri police and identified her.

Too young to even explain the incident, this minor girl of Shimlapuri was cajoled by an unidentified man when she was watching TV with her elder brother at her neighbour's house.

She was not in a position to recall anything even today, lying in the hospital where she cried inconsolably, complaining about pain in her stomach. She had bruises all over her face and a swollen upper lip due to injuries.

Doctors attending on her said she was in bad state yesterday. They gave her a packing to stop the bleeding. She was operated upon in the morning and her uterine tear was stitched with eight sutures.

The Civil Hospital staff said they were too shocked to see her condition. "Why this kind of treatment with children? Are we humans? " asked a nurse while looking after her.

Her parents work as a rickshawpuller and domestic help. Her mother used to leave her with brother everyday. "I left at 12.30 pm and came back at 2.30 pm. My son told me she was missing. We searched for her everywhere. But she was nowhere to be found. I could never imagine she was raped," said her mother.

The Shimlapuri police has registered a case of rape against an unidentified person. Police officials said the act seem to be done by a maniac.