Amritsar, March 26
The Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD), the oldest Sikh body, is again in the web of controversy as its four senior functionaries today resigned as in charge of different branches of Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School being run in this border district.

They also challenged the election of the CKD held on March 22 under the direct supervision of Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh. This is for the second time that the authority of the Akal Takht Jathedar has been challenged within a week. Earlier, radical Sikh organisations, including the Shiromani Akali Dal (Panch Pradhani), the Khalsa Action Committee and Damdami Taksal, had violated the “hukamnama” (edict) issued by Giani Gurbachan Singh to suspend all agitations against Dera Sacha Sauda till the meeting of the Sikh clergy proposed to be held after Baisakhi.

Now the senior members of the CKD described the election as farce. It is pertinent to mention here that the election of Chief Khalsa Diwan was boycotted by the rival faction headed by Dr Harbhajan Singh Soch, a former Vice-Chancellor. The general house had re-elected Charnjit Singh Chadha as president, while Dr Santokh Singh, Nirmal Singh and Bhag Singh Ankhi were elected as vice-president, resident president and secretary, respectively, with voice vote. Earlier, a petition filed by Dr Soch to conduct the election through secret ballet was dismissed by the local court.

The Diwan has Rs 16-crore budget and runs many educational and social institutes, including an orphanage where Shaheed Udham Singh was brought up.

Earlier, on December 24, 2003, Akal Takht had directed to postpone the elections of the Diwan scheduled for January 4, 2004.

After gap of five years, Tarlochan Singh, Rajya Sabha member and former Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), wrote to Giani Gurbachan Singh urging him to intervene to ensure holding of election.

Nawanshahr, March 26
The state unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has announced its support to the three candidates belonging to the medical fraternity, Dr Daljit Singh Cheema (SAD) for Anandpur Sahib, Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala (SAD) for Khadoor Sahib and Dr S.K. Sukhi (BSP) for Hoshiarpur in the state.

Dr Yash Sharma, state IMA president, Dr Tarlochan Singh, co-chairman, state political affairs committee, and Dr Paramjit Mann, general secretary of the district unit of the IMA, said the IMA had announced support to the candidates belonging to the medical fraternity.

“The support is not based on any particular political ideology but at raising the voice of the medical fraternity in the Lok Sabha so that the problems being faced by the medical fraternity could be solved.”

Dr Cheema, while extending his gratitude for the support, said on the occasion that the SAD-BJP government had already fulfilled the demand of the medical fraternity by enacting a law on the pattern of Andhra Pardesh to ensure protection to the doctors, hospitals and nursing homes, etc. “Being a doctor, I am fully aware of the problems being faced by the medical professionals and I would continue my efforts to solve their problems,” said Dr Cheema.— OC

Jalandhar, March 26
The PPCC will discuss the issue of dismay among residents of the state over allocation of the party ticket to Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar at its proposed meeting at Chandigarh on Monday. This was stated by PPCC President Mohinder Singh Kaypee as he said, if required, the party high command would be apprised of the view the Punjabis had on the issue of allocation of the ticket to Tytler and Sajjan who were indicted by the Nanavati Commission for their role in the anti-Sikh riots.

However, he justified the decision of the allocation of the party ticket to the two controversial leaders, saying the high command must have taken the decision after due consideration.

Former Deputy Speaker of Punjab Vidhan Sabha Bir Devinder Singh had already demanded that the party high command should review the decision. Meanwhile, criticising BJP candidate from Pilibhit Varun Gandhi for allegedly making derogatory remarks against minorities, including Sikhs, Kaypee said everyone should indulge in issue-based politics instead of making unwanted utterances against any particular community. Answering a question regarding alleged anti-party statements by former Congress MLA Raj Kumar Verka, Kaypee said he had already made it clear that he (Verka) had been misquoted. He said the matter had been referred to the disciplinary committee for a decision.

He said star campaigners, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Pranab Mukharjee, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Mohsina Kidwai and Janardan Dwivedi would visit Punjab to address poll rallies. However, the dates of their visit would be finalised later, he added.

Besides, the Congress would also try to corner the SAD-BJP alliance over the issue of not implementing the report of the Sixth Pay Commission, he added. Kaypee said a sub-office of the PPCC would be opened at Congress Bhavan in Jalandhar soon, from where the media would be briefed on a daily basis. 

Amritsar, March 26
More than 1.40 lakh candidates would appear in the annual undergraduate theory examinations of Guru Nanak Dev University commencing from tomorrow for which all necessary arrangements have been done.

Stating this, Dr Gurnam Singh, Professor In charge (Examinations), said the university had set up 300 examination centres both for regular and private candidates at various places and the supervisory staff had been appointed for the smooth conduct of the examinations. More than 3,000 teaching and non-teaching staff members had been deputed for the purpose.

Dr Gurnam Singh said the principals of the colleges situated in the districts of Jalandhar, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Nawanshar and Tarn Taran would act as local Controller of Examinations. To check any outside interference, the university has also written to the district police chiefs to deploy sufficient police force.

The Professor In charge (Examinations) said to check the menace of use of unfair means, senior professors of the university and of colleges had been assigned duties as members of the flying squads, which would visit the examination centres daily. He said the university had already sent the roll numbers and date sheets to all regular and private candidates. No candidate would be allowed in the examination hall without roll number card.

He said the university had decided to install close circuit recording cameras in evaluation centres to bring transparency and to check any malpractice in these centres. The university had created eight evaluation centres in Amritsar, Jalandhar and Gurdaspur and would endeavour to declare the results of major examinations before June 30.

Gurdaspur, March 26
Vimal Setia, SDM, here today said DJs and other sound systems were prohibited to be played at marriage palaces across the district.

He said proprietors of the palaces have been directed to install fire extinguishers on the premises to meet any kind of eventuality of the kind. He said they had also been directed to maintain hygiene and cleanliness on the premises. Besides, they were told to install water purifier to provide potable water to the public. He said they must use properly insulated waterproof wires and cables.

He directed them to allow their premises to be used for holding function only after receiving a duly attested affidavit by the SDM. He said surprise checks would be conducted by magistrates accompanied by SHOs of the areas concerned. — TNS

Pathankot, March 26
The police has unearthed a 13-member interstate gang of vehicle lifters by arresting two members.

Harpreet Singh, SP, told mediapersons here today that the gang had been operating in the area of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi for the last two years.

Regarding the modus operandi of the gang, Harpreet Singh said during interrogation the arrested gang members, Sukhjinder Singh and Amrik Singh, both residents of Tibbi Bhariya, Faridkot, disclosed that they had been running a finance company, Jai Jagdembay, at Faridkot with other gang members and after lifting the trucks from far-off places they used to get prepared fake registration certificates of the vehicle to sell it to the people who come to their finance company to get vehicles financed.

SP said on a tip-off a police team, led by Avtar Singh, CIA in charge here, laid a naka at Nahara near Sidhu Palace in Faridkot city and intercepted a truck bearing fake registration number plate. The police rounded up two persons sitting in the truck who revealed that they were the partners of the Jai Jagdambay finance company and had been lifting vehicles for the last two years.

The police recovered four trucks parked in grain market, Moga, and two trucks from Faridkot and also recovered some spare parts from the house of the arrested gang members during a raid on the residence of Amrik Singh.

The police was looking for other gang members, including Prem Lal, Sandip Sharma, Kewal Krishan, all resident of Teacher Colony, Faridkot, Jagmohan Singh, Chaman Lal, Roop Chand and Kashmir Singh, the SP added.

Hoshiarpur, March 26
A kidnapping attempt was foiled here today due to the timely intervention of the police, following which the kidnappers of sarpanch Sat Pal Gujjar of the Shanti Nagar panchayat were forced to leave him (Gujjar) on the Hoshiarpur-Una road at Chack Sadhu village, 10 km from here, today.

According to police sources, Sat Pal Gujjar, who is a milk vendor, had recently acquired an annual contract from the Mandi Board for collecting the marketing fee in the local grain and vegetable market.

They said the contract was previously in the name of Harinder Singh, alias Pappu Gujjar, of Rahimpur, who had been insisting that Sat Pal Gujjar leave the contract for him. But Sat Pal did not oblige him which infuriated Harinder.

Today at about 11 am when Sat Pal was returning on his motorcycle (PB-07F-1347) after delivering milk in the Police Lines area, Harinder, along with his two brothers Kaka and Jasbir Singh, bundled him into their car (PB-07S-6085) near the office of the Improvement Trust, Hoshiarpur, and sped towards Una. On the way, they beat up Sat Pal.

Meanwhile, the police came to know about the incident and started chasing the car. On realising that they were being chased, the accused threw Sat Pal out of the running car and escaped.

Sat Pal was admitted to the local Civil Hospital. — OC