Hoshiarpur, November 15
Three undertrials, Manvir Singh, Amandeep Singh and Jaswinder Singh Teehra, attempted suicide inside the lock-up by slashing their wrists with blades at Sadar police station here on Friday night.

SSP Hoshiarpur Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill, while talking to The Tribune said the three accused had a criminal history and were brought to the Sadar police station on production warrants from the district jail last evening.

The trio was rushed to the civil hospital, from where they were discharged after preliminary treatment. While Manvir and Amandeep hail from Berchha village, Jaswinder is resident of Jandi village.

After coming to know about the incident, the activists of Bajrang Dal, led by their district coordinator and vice-president JK Chagran and Jasbir Singh Sihra, respectively, assembled outside the police station and staged a protest, alleging that the accused took the extreme step after being tortured. Later, they also blocked traffic. The blockade was only lifted after the intervention of higher police authorities.

Giving details about the crimes committed by the accused, the SSP said the trio has been booked on various charges, including, trespassing, causing grievous injuries, assault and snatching at Bhogpur, Bulhowal and Sadar police stations.

SHO of Sadar police station Harpal Singh dismissed the suicide bid as drama. “It was pre-planned. Some relatives of the accused had come to the station with meals for the latter. They might have smuggled the blades along with the food,” he added.

The district police chief said the accused have been booked under section 309 of the IPC after being medically examined.

“The fact that the accused got access to blades clearly indicates that there was some official negligence. “Strict action would be taken against the officer concerned in this regard,” said Gill, adding that blades used by the accused have been recovered. 

Nawanshahr, November 15
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed Canara Bank to credit Rs 9,63,000 to the account of Balwant Kaur and Jasvir Singh along with the interest at the rate payable on fixed deposits on the relevant dates. The forum has also directed the bank to pay Rs 20,000 to the complainants as compensation for the mental as well as physical harassment and litigation costs suffered by them.

Balwant Kaur and Jasvir Singh, in their complaint filed before the forum, had stated that they had a joint savings bank account with the local branch of Canara Bank. On February 1, 2008, the credit balance in their account was Rs 9,64,938.

They had got a cheque book containing 10 leaves (261871 to 261880). Of these, they had used only two cheques (261871 and 261872). Balwant Kaur remained out of India from December 21, 2007, to June 21, 2008.

On return, when she checked her savings bank account, it showed withdrawls amounting to Rs 9,63,000 between March 10 and April 8, 2008. Then they lodged a complaint with the manager of the bank alleging that the withdrawals were made illegally by employees of the bank. Besides, an FIR under sections 420, 465, 468, 471, 474 and 120-B, IPC, was also got registered on July 7, 2008.

The bank authorities, in their reply, while denying any negligence or deficiency in service, levelled counter allegations. They claimed that another cheque book on the request of the complainants was provided to them and it seemed that the joint account holder (Jasvir Singh) in connivance with his brother-in-law had withdrawn the amount and were levelling false allegations against the bank.

But the bank could not provide any documentary evidence regarding any request made by the complainants for another cheque book.

As per the account statement placed on record, the amount in dispute had been withdrawn through cheques Nos 152092 to 152096 and 152100 by a person named Bhinder Singh and cheque No 152098 dated April 4, 2008, was shown to have been encashed by the complaints themselves.

The bank could neither bring on record the cheques to show that Bhinder Singh was in any way related to the complainants nor could it produce any evidence that the cheque No. 152098 was issued by any of the complainants.

Jalandhar, November 15
Sports goods manufacturers held a rally and dharna in front of the house of industry minister Manoranjan Kalia here today.

Demanding the scrapping of VAT on sports goods, they passed through various parts of the city and reached the residence of the minister where they raised anti-government slogans. They also resorted to blowing trumpets and conches to awaken the government from its slumber.

Khel Udyog Sangh convener Vijay Dhir said they had been protesting against VAT for the past seven months but to no avail. It seemed that the government was determined to ruin us. The had been pleading that the tax should be scrapped as had been done in other states to provide the much-needed relief to their sector, he added.

In case the ruling alliance failed to accede to their demand they would be forced to vote against the party candidate in the Lok Sabha poll.

Dhir said while concessions were being given to certain sectors in the state, they were at the receiving end both in terms of facilities and other concessions. “We cannot work like this and will be forced to shut our units soon unless the government acts quickly,” he added.

Jalandhar, November 15
Members of surgical and leather complex yesterday submitted a memorandum to local bodies minister Manoranjan Kalia calling for relaying of roads in the complex, putting up an electricity substation and shifting the weekly power off day to Sunday instead of Wednesday.

Punjab Leather Federation president Lieut-Col JS Paul presented the memorandum to Kalia during inauguration of a road construction work in the complex which had not been undertaken since 1998.

The members said the roads only in half of the complex covering wet area were being relaid as they demanded that the passages along dry area be also cemented.

The members also demanded attachment of a central effluent treatment plant with the sewer line while also calling for a larger share of the state in the Rs 13.5-crore solid waste management system being planned in the complex.

Kapurthala, November 15
Tarlochan Singh Warraich, a Congress leader from Saidowal, was hacked to death by a fellow villager here on Friday night.

According to police sources, Amrik Singh murdered Warraich, a member of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, by assaulting him with some sharp-edged weapon when he was returning home along with his son Nekbir Singh. The deceased had gone to Amrik’s house to complain against the latter for creating nuisance outside his house.

A case has been registered against the accused at Sadar police station under section 302 of the IPC on the statement of Nekbir. Amrik was absconding till the filing of the report.

Nekbir told cops that Amrik came to their house in the evening and started hurling abuses at his father. However, Warriach ignored him as the latter was in a drunken state. After some time, Amrik disappeared from the spot. Then Warriach, along with his son, went to Amrik’s house to inform his family members about latter’s misbehaviour.

When the father-son duo was coming back towards their house, Amrik confronted them and attacked the Congress leader with some sharp-edged weapon. He then fled from the spot. .

Nekbir took his father to the civil hospital, where the doctors declared him as brought dead. 

Pathankot, November 15
A “run” was flagged off by Air Cdre S.S. Soman, Air-Officer-Commanding, 18 Wing, to create awareness about diabetes at the sports ground of Air Force Station here today. The AOC led the run and officers and other ranks, schoolchildren from KV-1, and Air Force School participated in it.

Banners and placards depicting various important facts on diabetes were carried out by the participants. Around 1,156 personnel, including 102 children, took part in the 12-km walk.

Addressing the function, Gp Capt G.S. Nanda, senior medical officer and senior adviser, preventive medicine, highlighted the main risk factors of the disease viz obesity, lack of physical activity and hereditary pre-disposition.

He said diabetes is causing 5 per cent of the total deaths globally every year. An exhibition of posters and charts on diabetes and other lifestyle diseases was also held.

Soman urged the participants to adopt healthy lifestyle and prevent occurrence of morbidity and mortality due to lifestyle diseases — OC

Hoshiarpur, November 15
To create awareness among the rural people about the girl child protection schemes, non-scalpel vasectomy and a mother protection scheme under the National Rural Health Mission, district health department, in collaboration with NGO Sri Ram Charit Manas Parchar Mandal on Friday organised a special camp at Dera Baba Ram Murti of Nara village in the remote Kandi area in this district.

Deworming of more than 700 schoolchildren was done and free toothpaste tubes and brushes were given to them.

A medical check-up camp was also arranged on this occasion in which more than 500 inhabitants of the area were medically examined by a team of doctors led by Halta Badla primary health centre in charge Dr Des Raj.

Civil Surgeon Dr S.K. Gupta and in charge school health programme Dr Ajay Bagga briefed on the schemes.

Minister for medical education and research, forest, labour and parliamentary affairs Tikshan Sud, who inaugurated the camp, distributed cheques for Rs 4.77 lakh among 15 beneficiaries of four adjoining panchayats for construction of new houses.

Besides, the minister also provided Rs 3.77 lakh to seven panchayats of the area under the rural development fund.

The debate topic was “India’s development - a lopsided affair”. Prerna Dogra of DAVIET was declared the best debater.

Amritsar, November 15
In the wake of a global economic slowdown and subsequent rightsizing by companies, the fresh pass-outs from various professional colleges should lap up the first job offer coming their way.

Usha Alburquerque, eminent career counsellor, who was in the city for a counselling programme organised by Spring Dale Senior School, talking to The Tribune here today said they should even take up the jobs with various non-government organisations to raise funds for charity works in the country as multinational companies were preferring those who had done service in the social field.

Alburquerque said only those employees were likely to be shunted out by the MNCs during the present economic recession who were not up to the mark. She said people should keep it in mind that those who are good at job were not going to be pushed out.

Even though the students were getting job in multinational companies abroad but their productivity level has not improved from 5 per cent as compared to 58 per cent of their counterparts, she added.

Usha, who is career columnist with The Tribune, said in today’s world when career options for children are not just confined to medicine, engineering or for that matter commerce, it is imperative for schools to expose children to more career options available.

She said the aim of the exercise of the counselling is based in the fact that with half baked exposure children tend to get confused that which career option should be pursued.

Lauding the efforts of Manveen Sandhu, principal, who has initiated career counselling, Alburquerque said credit goes to the teachers who guide and make students aware of their careers in counselling.

Today it is a worldwide fact those who study arts seriously are taught to see better, to envision, to persist, to be playful and learn from mistakes, to make critical judgments and justify them such, she added.

Subsequently, the police was summoned. Sources said the police even tried to strike a compromise between the two “warring” parties but to no avail. The boys reportedly told cops that they were not outsiders but students of the college.

The SHO of police station division number 3 said they had received the complaint. “We are examining the records and antecedents of the boys,” he added. — TNS