Bathinda, June 18
The Punjab Unemployed Teachers’ Front today served an ultimatum to the government for providing appointment letters to them by July 18, failing which they would resort to gherao of the Chief Minister and Cabinet ministers and further intensify their agitation.

The association held a state level rally here at the grain market to highlight their demands and grievances and criticised the government for its callous and indifferent attitude. Hundreds of unemployed B.Ed teachers loaded in bus arrived here from Mansa, Ferozepur, Sangrur, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Nava Sahar, Moga, faridkot and many other places to participate in the rally.

The teachers also held a silent protest march and carried banners, highlighting their demands and condemning the government. 

Thousands of unemployed B.Ed teachers participated in the rally and silent march which assumed much significant in view of ongoing Municipal Corporation Elections. Later they submitted a memorandum to the local administration in support of their demands.

Addressing the rally, president of the front, Sukhdarshan Singh warned the government against further delaying the appointments of B.Ed teachers and said that the ministers would be gheroed and not allowed to hold any public function if their demands were not accepted. 

 He said there were about 14,000 unemployed B.Ed teachers awaiting appointments and in case the government did not meet the demand by July 18, the agitation would further intensify and the government would be fully responsible for its repercussion.

Tension mounted in the town due to rally organised by unemployed B.Ed teachers but it passed off peacefully as police force was deployed in strength to avoid any untoward incident.

Moga, June 18
Activists of a human rights organisation today protested inside the City Police Station-II for few hours along with the body of a woman, who died of burn injuries yesterday, demanding the arrest of the deceased's husband who had allegedly set her on fire.

The protesters led by Manjit Hira, affiliated with human rights protection council, alleged that the police did not handle the case properly. Even as the police had registered a criminal case under section 302 of the IPC against the husband and his two sisters on the statement of the deceased's father, it was still not arresting him, she alleged.

Interestingly, while the protest was still going on, Rakesh Kumar, the accused, perturbed over the protest, walked inside the police station quietly and surrendered before the police. The husband refuted the allegations that he had killed his wife.

Meanwhile, SHO Varinder Gill said that there was no lapse on police's part. He said Shalu, the victim, was admitted in the civil hospital here with burn injuries a couple of days back, but keeping in view of the serious nature of her injuries the doctors attending her immediately referred her to the DMC, Ludhiana. "I rushed a team of the police to the hospital to record victim's statement but before the police could reach there, the doctors referred her to Ludhiana," he said.

The very same day a police team was sent to the DMC, Ludhiana, to record the statement, but the woman doctor attending her did not allow the police to record her statement. The victim suffered 95 per cent burn injuries, the SHO said.

Unfortunately, the woman died and her post-mortem examination was conducted here today.

Rakesh Kumar said that his wife had herself poured kerosene on her and ignited the fire. He said that he tried to save her but in vain. He clarified that his sisters were not present in the house when this incident occurred.

Although, the exact cause of the incident was not yet known, but the SHO said that the couple argued over money that might have led to her death. The accused would be produced before a local court on Thursday.

On the other hand, advocate Daljit Singh Rajput, chairman of the human rights protection council, while talking to The Tribune on telephone, announced that he would provide free legal aid to the victim's family.

Barnala, June 18
A mother of two children was admitted to the civil hospital here allegedly after she was thrashed by her husband for refusing to meet his regular dowry demands.

Jaspal Kaur told the reporters that she was married to Kewal Singh 10 years ago at Sukhpura Maur village, about 14 km from here. She was blessed with two children. Jaspal alleged that her husband used to beat and kick her.

She further alleged that he used to make regular demands to bring money from her parents to meet his needs of liquor and other drugs.

Yesterday, she was working in the house when inebriated Kewal Singh again demanded money. When she refused, he allegedly started beating her.

Not withstanding this cruelty, his father-in-law Bikar Singh tried to save her. Kewal Singh also 'attacked' him and he got 'injured' in the incident.

However, Bikar Singh hospitalised Jaspal Kaur and complained to the police.

Shaina police post in-charge Ram Singh said that he was investigating the matter and the police would take action against the erring one only after the investigation gets completed.

Fazilka, June 18
Tragedy struck here today as all the four members of a Delhi-based family were killed in a road accident that occurred on Fazilka-Abohar road.

According to available details, Poonam (29) along with her husband Sanjeev Kumar (31), daughter Niharika (5) and son Aashit (3) visited the city to meet her father Surinder Kumar, a brickkiln owner. They were returning to Delhi in their car bearing number PB-44-B-0061, driven by their driver Ram Dayal. Near Bodiwala Pitha village, 15 km from here on Fazilka-Abohar road, their car collided with a truck. The rear portion of the car was badly crushed resulting in the death of all the family members.

The driver, who was injured in the mishap, was rushed to the civil hospital, Abohar, by the highway police patrol party. The driver of truck bearing number RJ-13-G-9531 fled from the spot.

The post mortem of all the deceased was conducted at the local civil hospital.

Barnala, June 18
One person died after falling from a running train here today. The deceased has been identified as Sukhdev Singh, resident of Fafre Bhai ke, district Mansa.

ASI railway Gurcharn Singh informed that Sukhdev was travelling by the Sriganganagar-Ambala 4526. He was sitting at the door of the train. When the train reached near Sekha railway crossing, he lost his balance, fell down and died.

He added that the body was brought to the local civil hospital. The post mortem had been conducted and his family had been informed.

Meanwhile, the railway police informed that a case had been registered and investigation was on to know the exact reason of the death.

Bathinda, June 18
A motor cyclist was injured when his two-wheeler bumped into a ditch on the dug up Bathinda- Goniana road near Harchand cinema here this evening.

The motorcycle (PB 03 L 2903) was badly damaged and 45-year-old Baljinder Singh of Mehma Bhagwana village sustained injuries at knee, arms and head.

Later the Sahara volunteers took him to the hospital.

The accident occurred as a long stretch of the road was dug up for remodelling and the motorcyclist could not negotiate the treacherous potholes and lost control.

A local resident Babbu Danawalia said that there are no signboards to alert the commuters. People who witnessed the accident were angry over the local authorities callous attitude and put the blame on the slow pace in which the developmental projects are going on.

Mansa, June 18
The paddy season has set in. But the farmers, who had applied for tubewell connections under the own your tubewell (OYT) scheme, are a distressed lot as the PSEB did not launch its annual scheme that provided temporary connections to the farmers during the paddy season. The OYT scheme has already been suspended till November this year.

Every year, during paddy season, the PSEB provided temporary connections to the farmers. But this year, the board had not launched the scheme leaving farmers out of choice.

Farmers of this district, including Labh Singh of Bhainibagha, Ram Singh of Tuthiawali, Jujahar Singh and Mahinder Singh of Khatriwala villages, informed that they had applied under the OYT scheme but could not purchase the whole material for connection due to high rates charged by private firms.

They added that now, there was no way they could get a connection.

Following suspension of the OYT scheme, the board issued orders that farmers who had purchased all the material required for tubewell connections till June 6 and received demand notice could send the test reports to get a connection before June 17.

The orders brought relief to some farmers. However, there are numerous farmers who could not purchase all the material till June 6. There are many others, who had applied for a connection under general category, but had been waiting for it since 1990.

Kisan leader Ram Singh Bhainibagha demanded an early connection scheme for farmers and that connections should be provided to the farmers who applied for the same under the OYT scheme.

He added that the government was retracting from the promise of providing tubewell connection that it made to the farmers having land measuring five acres.

Meanwhile, H.S. Brar, member, distribution committee, PSEB, assured that the OYT scheme would be resumed after the removing its shortcomings.

He informed that the Punjab Vigilance Bureau was enquiring the irregularities and corruption in the implementation of the scheme.

Bathinda, June 18
The triangular contest among SAD (B) candidate Nirmal Singh Sandhu and two independents, namely Hukam Chand Sharma and Vijay Kumar from ward number 41, has made the ward one of the most keenly-watched seats in the BMC polls.

Sharma, a senior reporter with a Punjabi daily, claims to have backing of Dera Sacha Sauda followers, Sharma community and SC/BC voters. When asked on what ground, he was asking voters to support him, he said that his work in several areas like old age and handicap pensions, marriages of poor, school renovations, water supply and sewerage system, would certainly make voters to favour him.

It has been learnt that Sharma had proximity with the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. While talking to the TNS he expressed his resentment over the delimitation of wards as he alleged that it was an attempt of ruling SAD leaders of the district to divide his sure votes into three-four wards of the area. It may be mentioned that Sharma won the elections from his area in 1979 and 1992, whereas he lost polls in 1997, when he contested from thermal colony area.

When asked about the logic behind his expectation to get Dera votes, he said dera followers would certainly prefer him to the SAD contestant Nirmal Singh Sandhu.

On the other side, the ruling SAD has projected its representative Nirmal, who had contested the seat in 1997 also but lost to an Independent candidate Vijay Kumar with a margin of around 1400 votes. But this time SAD chief Sukhbir Badal himself came in his support and attended a public meeting on Sunday at his office.

When asked about his agendas, he cited the development works launched by the SAD. Despite contesting on the ticket of ruling party, the Plus two 2 passed candidate accepted that he might face competition from two Independent candidates.

Being well known for his continuous agitations under the banner of Sangharsh Committee, Vijay Kumar, former MC of the ward has again took the plunge as an Independently. It is learnt that Vijay is close to Charanji Lal Garg, that is why Garg had demanded SAD ticket for him but could not succeed in the effort.

Vijay Kumar said that he had spent day and night for the social cause even being an independent MC, which voters could not deny, so he had high chance to win the election this time too. 

Bathinda, June 18
Congress today intensified its election campaigning with Guruharsahai MLA Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, accompanied by local Congress MLA Harminder Singh Jassi, visiting more than 10 wards of the BMC.

Pointing guns towards the ruling SAD-BJP combine, MLA Sodhi said that the present state government had created total chaos in Bathinda as well as whole of the state. “They might be claiming to have had a clean sweep during the PRI and Gram Panchayat polls, but people themselves know how they did it. Infact, during the BMC as well as the parliamentary elections, people are waiting to ‘teach them a lesson’.”

“SAD used all kinds of unfair means during the recently held polls but during the BMC elections, we will not let that happen. That is why, we have requested to the state election commission to videotape the whole election proceedings, to which they have also agreed. We have got to know that at 87 different points of BMC wards, videography will be done. Besides, even Congress workers would videotape whole proceedings secretly so that in case of any unfair means used by SAD, those tapes can be shown to the state election commission,” MLA Rana Sodhi said.

Claiming that Punjab became a development oriented state during the last Congress regime, Rana Sodhi said, “Now even the investors are not feeling safe here because the SAD-BJP combine has not taken even a single step jointly. All they can do is befool the people by claiming credit for all developmental projects in Bathinda, which were infact started by the last government, using Centre’s funds.”

Local MLA Harminder Singh Jassi, said, “At present, no one is feeling safe in Punjab. During the PRI polls, SAD specially brought ‘goondas,’ who created total chaos, especially in the home district of the CM. Even two Congress workers were murdered by the SAD Block Samiti members recently.”

Today, both Rana Sodhi and Harminder Singh Jassi, along with other Congress leaders addressed rallies in seeral wards in the city.

Bathinda, June 18
“Though some leaders of SAD may raise this point, I will not be a baptized as it is not compulsory for serving people or the party,” said Kiranbir Singh Kang, chief of the Youth Akali Dal, here today. Kang was here to campaign for the BMC polls.

Using the card of ongoing developmental works, Kang sought votes for the party.

Predicting victory for the party in the polls, he claimed the verdict of voters of Bathinda would remind the Congress about the clean sweep they faced during the PRI polls. To promote youth in politics, he said that till August end the structure of the Youth Akali Dal would be improved.