Jalandhar, March 17
With an aim to discourage the rampant use of unfair means and mass copying during the examinations, District Education Officer (Secondary) Joginder Dass has filed 13 cases of cheating in the district during recent class VIII, X and XII examinations.

The formal complaints of the cases have already been sent to the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), Mohali, for disciplinary actions.

The schools against which the cheating cases have been filed included AS Senior Secondary Sai Dass School, Patel Chowk, Jalandhar, where one student of class X was caught, while cheating.

Another school was Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Patara, where four students of class XII were found using cheating material during the examination.

“This was one of the main centres where boys from nearby villages appeared for the examinations,” said the DEO.

Similar such cases were found at Suman Day Boarding Senior Secondary School, Ladhewali, where a cheating case was filed against two students of class XII.

One case each was reported at AS Arya Senior Secondary School, Nakodar, against a student of class XII and APG Public School, Jalandhar, where a class VIII student was caught, while using unfair means in the examinations.

Another school was Shahkot Public Senior Secondary School, Shahkot, where a cheating case was filed against four students of class X of two blocks. The DEO (Secondary) said strict action was taken on the spot against the erring students.

“Students were found using slips, torn out pages from guides and reference books and taking help from parents, relatives and friends. To curb this practice we confiscate the answer sheets of students along with the cheating material found and send it to the Punjab School Education Board, Mohali, for disciplinary action,” added the DEO.

Interestingly, all the students who were caught include boys and no case of girls indulging in cheating has come to the fore in the district. Students were found cheating on almost all the days.

“We are trying our best to implement the orders of Director-General School Education Krishan Kumar and bring an end to mass copying among students during examinations. Use of unfair means is one of the biggest reasons in deteriorating the standard of education,” said the DEO.

Jalandhar, March 17
Open defiance of model election code of conduct is still continuing in several parts of the city as all the banners of political leaders, especially those belonging to the ruling SAD-BJP alliance have not been removed.

The Tribune team on Tuesday found one such banner at Kishanpura Chowk, near Domoria Bridge, falling under the Jalandhar (North) Assembly constituency.

The banner carried a huge photograph of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) district president Kishan Lal Sharma.

The open defiance continues despite the fact in the stories carried on March 11 and 13, The Tribune highlighted posters containing the photographs of BSP and BJP members outside the District Administrative Complex (DAC) and the JP Nagar localities, respectively.

Interestingly, the authorities did not issue any notice to the erring politicians for flouting the code of conduct, but merely removed these posters and hoardings.

Kapurthala, March 17
Deputy Commissioner-cum-district returning officer (DRO) Raj Kamal Chaudhury marked an inquiry to SDM Anupam Kler about the alleged violation of the election code of conduct by two Congress councillors, Namdev Arora and Satpal Mehra, who had distributed stitching machines and suits among needy women during a function held at a temple here on Sunday.

When contacted, Kler told The Tribune she would submit her inquiry report to the DRO on Wednesday morning. She did not disclose the contents of her findings as she was busy in a meeting in Amritsar.

In a news item carried in The Tribune on March 16, it was stated that Arora and Mehra gave away as many as 20 suits and three stitching machines to different women at the function held at the local Janki Nath Mandir.

The councillors are reportedly close to Jalandhar MP Rana Gurjit Singh who is ready to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Khadoor Sahib under which the Kapurthala Assembly constituency also falls.

When contacted, Arora admitted that they had distributed stitching machines and suits among women during a function at the temple.

At the same time, he said he had attended the function as chief guest. It was a religious function and politics had nothing to do with it.

He claimed that distribution of stitching machines and suits did not amount to violation of the code of conduct as the temple authorities had been helping needy women for the past several years.

Batala, March 17
The police arrested three persons, including two women, on charges of cheating a family and others of nearly Rs 27 lakh in the name of sending them or their kin to the UK. Sadar police station registered a case on the statement of Stephan, a resident of Sunayyia here.

Meanwhile, three accomplices of the arrested accused are absconding. Stephan alleged that Rajwinder, Veena, wife of Surinder Masih, and Suraina, wife of Yunas Masih, all residents of Adarsh Nagar, Amritsar, in connivance with three more persons cheated him of Rs 4.50 lakh on the pretext of sending his sons and daughters to the UK.

Confirming the development, Batala SSP Naresh Arora said during investigation the accused revealed that they cheated Darbara Singh of Langerwal of Rs 2.50 lakh, Danial Stephan Masih of Guwahati of Rs 3.72 lakh, Shobina of Sunayyia of Rs 3 lakh, Robina of Rs 3 lakh, Amanpreet Kaur of Sunayyia of Rs 2.72 lakh, Harpreet Singh of Rs 5.18 lakh and Gursharan Singh of Batala of Rs. 1.75 lakh.

Nawanshahr, March 17
A panicky situation prevailed at the Karawer bus stand on the Garhshankar-Balachaur road when a youth in a Scorpio vehicle opened fire at Gurjinder Singh, son of Jujhar Singh of Mehandpur village.

Though, Gurjinder Singh managed to escape, a girl, Satwinder Kaur, daughter of Gurmit Singh of Gulpur, was injured in the firing. She was brought to Raja Hospital here for treatment.

Balachaur SHO Swarn Singh said a case under sections 307 of the IPC had
been registered against Harjinder Singh, son of Balbir Singh of Hiyatpur village,
for allegedly indulging in firing at the bus stand on the basis of the complaint
lodged by Gurjinder Singh.