Jalandhar, February 22
An alliance partner in the Parkash Singh Badal government, the BJP should also demand deployment of paramilitary forces in Punjab during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as it has been the main sufferer of the highhandedness of SAD during the local bodies and panchayat elections last year.

Veteran Congress leader Iqbal Singh made this suggestion to the BJP reminding it of highhandedness of SAD in which a car of its MLA Anil Joshi was burnt in Amritsar.

A former Rajya Sabha member, Iqbal Singh further said the Congress had already met the chief election commissioner thrice to request him to deploy paramilitary forces in Punjab to ensure free and fair Lok Sabha elections.

Also Congress Working Committee (CWC) member, Iqbal Singh said the Punjab Congress had already brought the matter of possible poll rigging by SAD to the notice of UPA chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Iqbal Singh, accompanied by PPCC secretary Virendra Sharma and DCC (urban) president Arun Walia said Congress would form booth-level committees to give a befitting reply to such plans of the SAD.

Answering a query, he denied any factionalism among the Punjab Congress leaders.

Meanwhile, Punjab BJP chief Rajendra Bhandari said there was no need of deployment of paramilitary forces in Punjab in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Bhandari was in Jalandhar to participate in a function of new voters organised by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) at Ram Leela Ground on Sodal Road on Sunday afternoon.

National president of BJYM Amit Takkar also attended the function.

Talking to mediapersons, Bhandari said the Lok Sabha elections would be held in a free and fair manner and there was no need for deployment of paramilitary forces.

However, when his attention was drawn towards highhandedness of the ruling SAD against its alliance partner BJP during the local bodies and panchayat elections last year, Rajendra Bhandari could not give any satisfactory reply.

Jalandhar, February 22
The alleged highhandedness of educational institutions has now come to the fore with the registration of criminal cases against six students of the CT group of educational institutions after the death of its two students in a road accident.

No case was registered against the proprietors of the group for their alleged negligence that led to the death of two students just 500 yards from the institution.

The students of the group had gone berserk and smashed the windowpanes of the building and vehicles after the institute management allegedly did not extend any help to the injured in the accident on February 19 morning.

On the complaint of Balbir Singh, a security officer of the group, the police has booked six students under sections 307 of the IPC in this connection.

SHO, Lambra, Bhupinder Singh said the suspects were identified by the complainant as Akhil Sharma, a resident of Gujrewal area along Cool Road, Jalandhar, Pankaj Sharma of Darbhanga in Bihar, Naresh Ayad Singh of Ghaziabad, Bhupinder Singh, a resident of Dhina near the Industrial Area, Jalandhar, Jaspal Singh of Adda Umrapur in Batala and Charanjit Singh of Garka in Tarn Taran.

In his complaint to the police, Balbir Singh claimed that the six jumped over the main gate of the institute and instigated the students to riot.

The SHO said police has been investigating into the matter but no arrest has been made as yet. SSP RK Jaiswal was not available for comment.

Tension still prevails in the institute premises as the students of different trades have joined hands against the management.

Batala, February 22
A SAD sarpanch of Budda Kot village was booked along with three others for allegedly dealing in stolen vehicles.

On a tip-off, the police raided the shop of sarpanch Kuldeep Kumar and found the stolen vehicles.

The police managed to nab two persons, identified as Kashmiri Lal, and Sarwan Singh, but the sarpanch along with Baljeet Singh gave cops the slip.

According to the SHO of Qadian Police Station, the vehicles, after being brought from different parts of the country, were cut and dissembled. The parts were disposed off as scarp, he added.

The police seized a chassis of a truck which was cut while the other parts were dissembled. About 30 quintals of such scrap was seized from the shop.

The police has registered a case under section 411 and 414 of the IPC.

Interestingly, one such stolen Maruti car (No. DAC - 2056), allegedly brought by the sarpanch and his accomplices, was found on the premises of Shekhwan police post.

Moreover, when asked, ASI Satish Kumar, in charge of Shekhwan police post, had no answer as how the Maruti Car got parked on the premises of the police post.

He only reply was he did not know as to who brought this vehicle.

Residents of Budda Kot village accused the police of helping the Akali sarpanch.

Pathankot, February 22
Thirteen-year-old Shavendu, student of the 7th standard of Indian Heritage School, succumbed to his injuries today.

He fell from the roof of the boarding school, situated in Bungal, 15 km from here on the Pathankot-Dalhousie road, while playing with his classmates yesterday.

Son of Lt-Col Manoj Dutt Sharma, Shavendu sustained serious injuries and was rushed to a private hospital in the city.

The family of Shavendu lived in Haldwani city in Nainital district in Uttarakhand.

SP Harpreet Singh said the body of the child was handed over to the family members after post-mortem examination.

He said a case under sections 337, 338, 304-A of the IPC had been registered against the management of the school.