Amritsar, April 8
Four policemen, including inspector Baldev Singh, in charge of Bakshikhana, have been suspended for dereliction in duty after notorious smuggler Satnam Singh Satta escaped from Bakshikhana breaking the grill of a bathroom last evening.

The other three policemen are head constable Harjinder Singh, constable Harvinder Singh, constable Dilbagh Singh.

The policemen have been booked under relevant sections of the IPC at Civil Line police station here.

In a major embarrassment to the local police, Satta managed to escape from Bakshikhana situated in the district court where he was taken for hearing in a case. This is the second sensational escape of notorious smugglers from police custody facing trail in the court.

The notorious smuggler was nabbed by the special narcotics cell on the charges of possessing 1 kg of heroin and fake currency notes in the D-division police station area and was facing trial in the court. This has raised many questions on the functioning of police parties guarding the criminals at Bakshikhana where they were lodged before hearing. The Bakshikhana was recently built in the district court complex.

Earlier, Balwinder Singh, alias Doctor, had escaped from police custody when he was being taken to Delhi for hearing. He escaped near Jalandhar in January. He was caught by the special narcotics cell for possessing 18 kg of heroin.

This is the third incident of escaping of undertrials in recent days. Earlier, an undertrial, Sonu, who was caught by the police on the charge of lifting vehicles, escaped from the civil hospital where he was undergoing treatment on March 30. Before him, Paramjit Singh, a prisoner, gave a slip to warders while working in the fields in a high security jail.

The warders were later suspended for negligence while discharging their duties on March 20.

Jalandhar, April 8
The National Commission of Scheduled Castes has decided to summon Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Mahendra Singh Tikait for his alleged casteist remarks against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.

“The commission has decided to summon Tikait for his alleged casteist remarks against the UP Chief Minister and if found guilty, appropriate punishment would be recommended against him to the President of India,” commission chairman Buta Singh told reporters here today.

Commenting on the allegation levelled by the UP Chief Minster that the commission did not fulfil its constitutional obligation by not intervening in the episode, Buta Singh refuted the charge and said that as soon as the episode occurred, he himself condemned Tikait for his act in both electronic and print media.

“It is the duty of the commission to take suo motu notice of such issues and it did the same and accordingly notice will be issued to Tikait for taking further action against him,” he clarified.

“It was sheer personal jealousy of Mayawati which prompted her to level allegation against him,” the former union home minister said.

He alleged that Mayawati hampered the interests of the Dalits whenever she became the Chief Minister. Asked whether he considered Mayawati a “messiah of the Dalits,” Buta Singh evaded a direct comment but said she never fought for the rights of Dalits, neither in the UP Assembly, nor in Parliament.

“Earlier she used the name of Dr Ambedkar for her political uplift and now she is using the name of late Kanshi Ram to befool the masses,” he alleged.

The reservation bill would soon be enacted to safeguard the interests of the downtrodden, Buta Singh said. He said a draft of the proposed bill submitted by the commission had been approved by the Union Cabinet and forwarded to the Standing Committee of Parliament, which, after going through it in detail, would table it in Parliament for enactment, he said.

Once the act came into force, it would be mandatory for any government department to recruit candidates from the weaker sections of society according to the share of percentage given in the act.

Dismissing the possibility of a mid-term general election, former union minister said the UPA government at the Centre would complete its tenure.

“There is no possibility of early elections and as already stated by the Prime Minister, the UPA government will last its full term,” he said. — PTI