The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

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50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

LS Polls
EC slashes state’s demand for paramilitary forces
Chandigarh, April 10
The Election Commission (EC) has slashed the state’s demand for 200 companies of paramilitary forces for the smooth conduct of forthcoming elections in the state.

Brawl in Rampura Phul
Market closed in protest
Rampura Phul (Bathinda), April 10
Irked due to the alleged insensitivity of the district police, a day-long market bandh was observed in this town today. The shopkeepers also lodged their protest against the ‘unchecked terror’ unleashed by the ruling SAD-backed goons, who assaulted some people and created hooliganism inside the Rampura police station on Thursday.

Shopkeepers observed a bandh at Rampura Phul on Friday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

Poll heat & dust takes its toll as Bhutan royal family scion feels ‘fatigued’
Natt (Bathinda), April 10
Having traversed the dusty roads of the rural Bathinda to campaign for Congress candidate Raninder Singh, the descendent of the royal family of Bhutan, Jigme Wangdi Wangchuk, is now “fatigued” and prefers to stay back in the air-conditioned Ford while Raninder mingles with the village folk.

The fatigued scion of Bhutan royal family, Jigme Wangdi Wangchuk, takes a nap in the air- conditioned Ford at village Natt in Bathinda district on Friday while Congress candidate Raninder Singh was addressing an election rally. Tribune photo: Kulbir Beera

Inquiry begins into custodial death case
Sriganganagar/Abohar, April 10
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACGM) Virender Singh Ahlawat has initiated an inquiry into the custodial death of an accused at Bhirani police station of Bhadra tehsil, sources said.

Fazilka heritage fest begins
Fazilka, April 10
The four-day Fazilka Heritage Festival being celebrated by the Graduate Welfare Association Fazilka (GWAF) commenced with a colourful cultural programme at the local Pratap Bagh on Thursday night.

Gehlot campaigns for party candidate
Hanumangarh/Abohar, April 10
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot while starting the election campaign for his party's candidate Bharat Ram Meghwal by addressing a massive rally at the grain market ground at Hanumangarh today claimed that India not only survived but emerged stronger despite the global meltdown due to rational policies adopted by the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Akshay Tritiya on April 27
DCs asked to prevent child marriages
Hanumangarh/Abohar, April 10
The principal secretary of the Home Department has instructed all the district collectors in Rajasthan to take effective steps to prevent child marriages on Akshay Tritiya (Aakha Teej) that falls on April 27.

Youth killed in road accident
Fazilka, April 10
A cyclist was killed while another suffered injuries in a road mishap on the Fazilka-Malout road near village Mahuana Bodla on Thursday night when a motorcycle reportedly hit the cycle.

Greenhorns out to learn the ropes
SP Sharma
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 10
The two products of the country’s prominent education institutions, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Raninder Singh, are these days touring the dusty hamlets in the nook and corner of the Bathinda Parliamentary constituency where they are locked in the most prestigious contest of Punjab.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal

Born on: July 25, 1966
Education: Loreto Convent, Delhi. DU graduate. Degree in textile designing from South Delhi Polytechnic.
Experience: Worked as merchandiser in a buying agency before marriage. Handled interior decoration of Hotel Trident Hilton, Gurgaon. Presently running a jewellery shop 'Taviz' in Trident Hilton as chief designer and coordinator.
Social activities: Runs a school for street children in
Vasant Kunj, Delhi. Supporting many old age homes.

Raninder Singh

Born on: August 2, 1967
Education: YPS, Patiala & Doon School, St. Stephen's College, New Delhi. Graduate from Buckingham University, UK.
Travel: All European countries

Harsimrat being wife of deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal and daughter-in-law of CM Parkash Singh Badal and Raninder being son of former CM Amarinder Singh and chairman of the Congress campaign committee, the contest is being keenly watched not only in Punjab but also throughout the country. The Badals and Amarinder Singh are old political foes, but the elections have made their scions taste the dust of rural Punjab.

Harsimrat is a product of the Loreto Convent and the Delhi University whereas Raninder did his schooling from the Doon School and college from St. Stephens, New Delhi.

Both are first timers in the election fray and are being backed by campaign managers. Raninder is so far campaigning single-handedly, while the entire Badal family, including Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh and Surinder Kaur Badal, her mother-in-law, are engaged virtually in approaching every single voter by fanning out in Bathinda and Mansa districts that form the Bathinda LS constituency.

However, instead of taking up the issues of public importance the two are engaged in slinging mud on each other’s family.

Harsimrat and other members of the Badal family have made it a point to highlight in their election speeches that Raninder belongs to the erstwhile royal family that is inapproachable by common people, while the Badals were son of the soil.

Moreover, his father Amarinder never visited Bathinda when he was the CM of the state, they say.

They also do not lose the opportunity to claim that the Bathinda district at the tail end of Punjab had remained neglected during the Congress regime and now the Badal-led SAD-BJP government was giving high priority to the development of the area.

Harsimrat, who launched the campaign against female foeticide, in her bio-data has pointed out that she worked as chief coordinator for the Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) export in her family-owned distillery.

She vehemently denies that the Badals have imposed dynastic rule in the state and accuses Amarinder of having done this by getting the Congress tickets for his wife and son for the Patiala and Bathinda constituencies.

On the other hand, Raninder claims that the people of Punjab were suffering due to the “misrule” of the Badals. There was no law and order and murders have become common throughout the state.

He takes credit that his father introduced BT-cotton that has brought prosperity among the farmers in the Malwa belt that suffered most during the SAD regime.

Procurement of grains and cotton was done in a systematic manner during the Congress rule while the farmers were facing hardships ever since the Badals came to power, he says.

Raninder also accuses deputy CM Sukhbir of misusing the police and the officialdom to intimidate the rural folks of Bathinda to make them vote for Harsimrat.

Sukhbir, Harsimrat address meetings
Our Correspondent

Mansa, April 10
Taking into consideration the educational, economic and social backwardness of women which has hampered the development of the country at large, it appears that there is a drastic need to fight for their right and uplift their status, claimed Harsimrat Kaur Badal SAD (B) candidate from Bathinda constituency. Speaking to the media at Boha, she said if she was elected, her topmost priority would be to raise issues related to the overall development of society.

Addressing media at Budhlada, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said the Congress would face a defeat during the parliamentary elections.

Badal said that the Congress had not been paying attention to the problem of Dalits in the years that it had been in power.

Anganwari workers to oppose SAD-BJP

Abohar, April 10
The Anganwari Workers Union has decided to oppose the SAD-BJP alliance in the LS polls. While making it clear during a meeting in Nehru Park here today, the national president of the union Hargobind Kaur said that the alliance leaders had backtracked on the promises. She, however, said so far, no directive had been issued for supporting the Congress candidates. The workers should decide for themselves, she added. — OC

Tycoons not game for ‘political extortion’
Anil Jerath
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 10
Political parties are leaving no stone unturned to woo voters for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. To support the poll activity, they are working overtime to garner cash reserves from industrialists, who are annoyed due to years of neglect by the state government.

The industrialists, contributing several hundred crores to the national exchequer and providing jobs to thousands, do not have a representation in the Parliament. Despite repeated promises on the political platform, the state has failed to bring out any industrial policy.

J.S. Kang, a leading industrialist, said: “Despite contributing crores to the national spending account, we don’t have a single political party that can ensure a distinct place for the city in the state budget. The mirage of power projects in the state does not impress us anymore.”

Fighting elections during the time of recession might prove to be difficult for most of the candidates. Even during the normal days, most of the industrialists are reluctant to part with their hard-earned money. For they believe that it’s simply “political extortion”.

It seems that this time recession has become a good excuse for the industrialists to avoid giving donations in the city.

The political parties depend solely on industrial and business houses for the money they need to run their affairs and contest elections. The expenses multiply with every election. And it’s the businessmen who feel the pressure.

Charan Singh Lohara, president of the All India Motor Congress, recently said: “The industry has lakhs of lives and scores of support businesses attached to it. The collapsing city infrastructure does not augur well for the city. The government has also failed to dole out any special package for road transporters despite the economic meltdown. On the contrary, other sectors have been helped.”

LS Polls
EC slashes state’s demand for paramilitary forces
Chitleen K Sethi
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 10
The Election Commission (EC) has slashed the state’s demand for 200 companies of paramilitary forces for the smooth conduct of forthcoming elections in the state.

The EC has informed the state that only 86 companies of additional forces can be given to the state. Sources say following the EC communication, the state’s Home Department has sent a fresh request to the EC for additional forces and reply in this regard is awaited.

While it is being hoped that the state will be given additional forces, the EC’s communication has upset the elaborate security arrangements chalked out by the police for the elections.

Senior policemen pointed out that in case the EC did not agree to the fresh demand, the state would have to thin down the security arrangements at deras and other vulnerable points to meet the election duty demands.

ADGP, elections cell, SM Sharma said the first set of paramilitary and armed police would start arriving in the state from May 2.

“Till then, once the process of filing of nominations begin, we will be deploying our own men for election duties,” he said.

According to the security plans chalked out by the state police, almost 75 per cent of the state police employees and 50 per cent of the Punjab Armed Police (PAP), besides the outside paramilitary forces and armed policemen would be on duty for the elections. The state’s own 14 companies of the PAP would be sent outside the state for the elections.

As many as 30 per cent of 10,600 polling booths in the state had been identified as sensitive and tight security arrangements have also been planned for certain constituencies.

Interestingly, while the Home Department is feeling the pinch of their demand having not been met, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had announced in February that there was no need of Central security forces in the coming Lok Sabha elections in the state. “It was during the previous Capt Amarinder Singh regime that central security forces were required as maximum highhandedness and use of muscle power had taken place in the elections during his regime,” he said.

Brawl in Rampura Phul
Market closed in protest
Tribune News Service

Rampura Phul (Bathinda), April 10
Irked due to the alleged insensitivity of the district police, a day-long market bandh was observed in this town today. The shopkeepers also lodged their protest against the ‘unchecked terror’ unleashed by the ruling SAD-backed goons, who assaulted some people and created hooliganism inside the Rampura police station on Thursday.

It is alleged that the accused gang allegedly survives on the patronage of a senior SAD (B) leader of the Rampura Phul Assembly constituency.

The police booked Amandeep Singh and Lakhwinder Singh, both of Sadhana village, among the unidentified persons for creating ruckus in the police station, in which three persons of Sabzi Mandi sustained injuries.

The property of the police station and the camera of a mediaperson were also damaged in the brawl.

According to details available, the shopkeepers in the town displayed unity by observing the bandh on the call given by Sita Ram Deepak, president of an NGO, the Jan Kanyan Sangh.

Afraid of the ‘goons’, people sitting in front of the closed shops while seeking anonymity, said, “Chief of the gang moves in a black Scorpio wearing white kurta pyjama. He also takes contracts for some illegal enforcement related jobs.”

“The bandh is an evidence of our frustration against the gang. The police too feel some kind of phobia in nabbing them as they all are backed by a senior Akali leader,” they added.

They also said that visiting leaders of various political parties have started taking political mileage out of it.

Narender Bhaleria, rural president of the district Congress, alleged, “It is all being done by the SAD (B) to create terror in the town so that people do not cast their votes.”

It may be mentioned that on October 1 last year, the Phul police had nabbed four members of the accused gang from the town’s outskirts.

Huge quantity of illegal arms and ammunitions were recovered from their possession. Lakhbir Singh alias Lakha was arrested with .12 bore rifle and 29 live ammunitions while Amandeep Singh alias Amna of Sadhana was held for carrying.315 bore country-made rifle with six live ammunition.

Poll heat & dust takes its toll as Bhutan royal family scion feels ‘fatigued’
SP Sharma
Tribune News Service

Natt (Bathinda), April 10
Having traversed the dusty roads of the rural Bathinda to campaign for Congress candidate Raninder Singh, the descendent of the royal family of Bhutan, Jigme Wangdi Wangchuk, is now “fatigued” and prefers to stay back in the air-conditioned Ford while Raninder mingles with the village folk.

The Congress candidate addressed about 18 election rallies in the Talwandi Sabo area today but Wangchuk preferred to stay put in the vehicle with the AC on.

Reporters were not allowed to reach him by Raninder’s men, who said the royal visitor was not keeping well and was allergic to dust and the hostile weather.

Wangchuk from his vehicle shooed away photographers who tried to click his pictures. He had come here all the way from Bhutan to campaign for Raninder, with whose family he has old links. He has accompanied Raninder to various places in the constituency since April 1 but has not addressed a single election rally because he was unable to communicate in Punjabi.

He had reportedly told some mediapersons in the beginning that he had come here to express solidarity and be with Raninder during his campaign. Wangchuk is uncle of Bhutan’s crown prince and their association with Captain Amarinder Singh, father of Raninder, goes back to the days when the Bhutanese royal family was in exile at Delhi.

Inquiry begins into custodial death case
Our Correspondent

Sriganganagar/Abohar, April 10
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACGM) Virender Singh Ahlawat has initiated an inquiry into the custodial death of an accused at Bhirani police station of Bhadra tehsil, sources said.

The police said yesterday that Pawan Kumar, son of Chhaju Ram Jat, allegedly committed suicide during the police remand at the Bhirani police station before the sunset on Thursday.

As per information available, the police had arrested Pawan Kumar of village Bhangarh for allegedly fleecing and raping a minor girl. The girl was recovered from the Loonkaransar railway station, where she was reportedly dropped after the crime.

Pawan had been remanded in police custody for two days. On Thursday, he allegedly tore a blanket to pieces inside the lockup and hanged himself with the iron gate using some pieces of the blanket. The guard on duty Hari Singh had raised an alarm on seeing this.

SP Mohan Lal along with ASP Yaad Ram Phasla, DSP Nevin Clork and other officials rushed to the police station. ACJM also visited the police station and the hanging body was reportedly removed in his presence. Videography of the events was done.

Hundreds of residents of village Bhangarh had thronged the police station. They shouted slogans alleging that Pawan had been beaten to death and hanging was just a drama enacted by the police to be on safe side. However, the body was handed over to the parents after post-mortem late this evening. Judicial inquiry has been initiated, sources said. The ADJM has recorded statement of brother and grandfather of the minor girl besides some of the family friends.