Jalandhar, May 8
The second marriage of a middle-aged couple did not last long as the man murdered his wife allegedly by stabbing her with a sharp-edged weapon in a park at the busy Adarsh Nagar here around noon.

While Surinder, a self-styled Hindu priest from Mithu Basti, died on the spot after being stabbed six times, Ranjit Singh, a granthi residing at Bhagat Singh Chowk, is seriously injured as he tried to kill himself by stabbing himself in the stomach. He underwent a surgery in the civil hospital this afternoon.

Ranjit tried to escape from the spot after the incident and even tried to board a bus outside the park but in vain.

He was caught by a group of alert students from a nearby school and the public there who handed him over to the police.

The family members of the duo said Surinder was a widow and Ranjit a divorcee and they got married about six months back. They said the couple had married secretly about six months back but were living separately.

“Just a few weeks back, Ranjit had introduced Surinder to his family. He had been insisting that Surinder stays with her but she declined the idea. The twosome were probably having some discord over certain issues better known to them,” said relatives of the couple.

SHO Sukhjit Singh of division number 4 said the police found a suicide note from the pocket of Ranjit Singh which failed to provide them any lead while ascertaining that there was some tension between the two. Photographs of the marriage of the couple in a gurdwara were also found from the spot, he said.

Surinder Kaur is survived by a married son. Ranjit Singh has a 12-year-old daughter, said his brother Harbhajan Singh, also a granthi.

The police has registered a case under sections 302 and 309 of the IPC against Ranjit Singh. The post-mortem examination of Surinder Kaur is yet to be conducted.

Jalandhar, May 8
With the municipal corporation planning to spend a whopping Rs 1.26 crore on landscaping and beautifying the place, there seems to be a ray of hope for the development of the historical Nehru Garden, popularly known as Company Bagh.

The corporation has allotted the project to a Ludhiana-based landscape designing company “Haryali” which has forwarded its proposals and suggestions to the authorities for approval.

As per the plans, the park will have planned growth with grass-covered mounds all around the edges; a curving pathway to tread along the boundary and across the central portion; canopies and huts on the hillocks with benches and a fountain near the centre.

The design of the park indicates round green maze which will be made with pathway comprising small bushes, leaving it to the entrant to find the way to the exit.

The proposed plan also has a provision for a food court near one of the entrances, in front of the BSNL office building. A few tables would also be laid for the provision of enjoying food while standing.

There, of course, is a children’s section alongside the other gate, in front of the
zila parishad office. The section will have colourful rides and swings for children
to enjoy.

MC joint commissioner Rahul Gupta said the work would begin in two months’ time and was likely to be carried out quickly thereafter.

Once a landmark site of the city, the garden had lost its glory ever since the MC authorities got a basement parking constructed covering its front portion and ruining its facade. The garden saw a sharp decline in the number of its visitors since then.

With haphazard growth around the garden, the place has virtually become a gambling den.

Musical fountains, the only charm left in the garden, seldom work. A few rides and swings in the park are also no longer an attraction.

The park is also called as Company Bagh because it is said to have been established by the East India Company during the British era.

Historians say that after the 1960s, when Jawaharlal Nehru came here and addressed a massive gathering, the park was christened Nehru Garden.

Phagwara, May 8
With timely intervention of its former stalwarts, the 60-year-old apex body of about 7,000 teachers working in over 200 affiliated, privately-managed, non-government colleges of Punjab and Chandigarh, Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU), has been saved from a vertical split.

With better sense prevailing eventually, both the warring groups dropped their decisions to hold parallel annual sessions and elections of seven office-bearers and 11 executive members. Now they have agreed to hold only one session and election on May 31, venue of which would be decided later.

Having been at loggerheads throughout the year, both the feuding factions, one led by R.S. Brar and the other by S.S. Hundal, had declared to hold parallel sessions at RK Arya College, Nawanshahr, and DAV College, Jalandhar, today and tomorrow, respectively.

While the Brar faction was to hold its session today at Nawanshahr, the Hundal group was to hold it tomorrow at Jalandhar.

Now, after the intervention of former PCCTU stalwarts, including principal S.S. Chatha, Charanjit Chawla, principal Tarsem Bahia, Dr Gurcharan Singh Brar and R.N. Sharma, both the feuding factions had abandoned their programme of parallel sessions and agreed to the May 31 single session.

This five-member arbitration group was augmented with the inclusion of principal V.K. Tewari and principal Jaspal Singh Randhawa.

All these seven stalwarts had remained presidents, general secretaries and other office-bearers of the PCCTU from time to time.

The union had a glorious tradition of championing the cause of affiliated college teachers, especially their pay packets, working conditions, service security and dignity, through struggles, including court arrest programmes and other peaceful forms of protests during its 60-year-long history.

The seven-member committee would now be holding a joint meeting with three representatives each of both the factions at Ludhiana on May 11 for sorting out their differences and removing the irritants in order to smoothen up the path for the May 31 PCCTU poll. — PTI

Kapurthala, May 8
Congress MP Rana Gurjit Singh has demanded registration of a criminal case against district Youth Akali Dal president Satbir Singh, alias Bittu, and his supporters for hurling abuses on Congress woman sarpanch Manjit Kaur who is contesting block samiti elections from Zone 1 of Dhilwan.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Rana alleged that Bittu and his supporters insulted a woman sarpanch who was canvassing at Ghaniake village and threatened her with dire consequences on Tuesday.

Rana alleged that Bittu, who is a close confidant of education minister Upinderjit Kaur, was tarnishing the image of the minister.

Manjit Kaur and her husband Harnek Singh, former chairman of the block samiti, Dhilwan, lodged a complaint with the police post at Fattudhinga, but the police, instead of taking action against Bittu and his supporters, raided their house at night to arrest their son on the charge of tearing election posters of the Akali candidate.

However, the police did not arrest their son when the couple told the cops that the Akali supporters had in fact abused the sarpanch and her supporters.

Harnek Singh and a large number of Congress workers, who were also present at the press conference, met the SSP and demanded the arrest of Bittu and 
his supporters.

Rana Gurjit Singh claimed that the SSP had assured him of action against Bittu and his supporters. — UNI

Jalandhar, May 8
With the cantonment board poll round the corner, the candidates of Ward 5 are leaving no stone unturned to win the masses.

Covering majority of defence areas, including 13 Dogra Regiment, Hardyal Road quarters, Old B.A Lines, Solanki Lines quarters, Vajra Complex, Chattri Chowk, houses near Jawahar Garden, Mohallas 25 and 29, the ward has a voter strength of 2,465 residents.

Harvinder Singh Pappu (40): Popular due to his age old ‘Pappu Ka Dhaba’ in Sadar Bazaar, Harvinder is in the fray for the second time. Earlier he contested from Ward 7. An active Congress worker since 1986, Harvinder, alias Pappu, has worked with then Chief Minister late Beant Singh.

Confident of his victory, he says, “If elected to power, my priority would be to improve sanitation, upgrade services of the cantonment board hospital, action against encroachers and development of milkmen”.

Mohinder Singh Bawa (40): A well-known person in the cantonment, this real estate owner contested the previous elections too. He is a postgraduate in economics from DAV College, Jalandhar.

Mohinder said, “No doubt issues pertaining to development are already on the agenda but my focus is on technical problems. The general land records column in cantonment area requires some amendments. Similarly, it is difficult to approve house plans in the cantonment and I would ensure these problems are solved”.

Baljinder Kumar (46): A greenhorn, Baljinder is sure to make his mark in the poll. Confident of his victory, he says, “Development issues are my priority but I am not approaching people with sky high promises. My focus is to win their confidence and assure them that they have chosen the right candidate who will come to their aide”.

A photographer by profession, Baljinder is inspired by his wife who has served as a panchayat member at Pathankot. “My motto is to deliver what I can do,” he added.

Rajinder Sharma (54): Rajinder, another greenhorn in the cantonment poll, is also pinning his hopes on development issues. An electronic engineer by profession, he is focusing on some core issues, including octroi, sewerage and building registration.

“There are many issues which need to be addressed but my prime focus is on sanitation which has been ignored for the past couple of years.”

Jalandhar, May 8
The Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute of Education organised its second annual convocation on Thursday where GND varsity vice-chancellor Dr Jairoop Singh conferred degrees on 40 students.

Jalandhar, May 8
Sumit Pal Singh of Jammu stormed into the final of the u-12 All-India Tennis Association (AITA), Delhi, being held at the Gymkhana Club, here on Thursday.

He is pitted against Fateh Deep Singh in the final tomorrow, who beat Dheeranush Bhatti of the CLTA, Chandigarh, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.

In the u-14 category, Shashank Sharma will face Thakur Ajay Singh, who won the all-India talent series held at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, from April 28 to May 1.

Results: U-12: Sumit Pal Singh (Jammu) b Rohan Gargee (Delhi) 6-2, 6-1 and Fatehdeep Singh b Dheeranush Bhatti (Chandigarh) 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.

U-14: Thakur Ajay Singh b Fatehdeep Singh 6-3, 6-2 and Shashank Sharma b Himanshu Sagar 6-2, 7-5.

U-14 doubles (girls): Subh Gulati and Karman Kaur b Himani and 
Victoria 6-4, 6-3.