Jalandhar, August 8
Installed in violation of the rules, scores of hoardings with photos of Lt-Governor of Puducherry, Iqbal Sigh, have been doting the city at various places.

As per rules, a man at constitutional post is not entitled to put up any signboard, hoarding or any publicity material. Lt-Governor Iqbal Singh perhaps failed to notice his own hoarding while interacting with people at functions in his honour in the city.

Besides a huge hoarding in the Congress Bhawan, the hoardings could be seen near the roundabouts and other public places in the city.

Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

Batala, August 8
Batala Excise and Taxation officer (ETO) Harpreet Singh has been placed under suspension for alleged irregularities in work and involvement in a sales tax scam.

This action was promptly taken after a proprietor of a trading company, dealing in Cadbury and Parle products, filed an FIR against the ETO and two transport companies, alleging that the officer in connivance with the transport companies sent cast iron out of Punjab using forged bills of the trading company.

The suspension order was issued by S.P. Das, Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Gurdaspur.

Though there is uncertainty over the ETO’s political links, he has claimed to be a relative of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Excise and Taxation Department had sent a scrutiny memo to Mohit Trading Company saying the company had not filed central sales tax even after selling cast iron to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore out of Punjab.

But Nand Lal, proprietor of Mohit Trading Company, challenged the memo saying the company did not deal in cast iron.

When inquired, it was found that two transport companies --- Masharda Transport Company and Golden Goods Carrier --- supplied cast iron outside Punjab and used duplicate bills of Mohit Trading Company to evade sales tax.

The ETO was booked under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Meanwhile, Jagdish Sawhney, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Punjab, ruled out any political motive behind the suspension of the Batala Excise and Taxation Officer.

Gurdaspur, August 8
Maninderjit Singh Bitta, President, All India Anti-Terrorist Front (AIATF), urged countrymen to think about the future of the country, as the present ruling set up was not bothered about its wellbeing.

Bitta, who presided over a function organised by the local Rotary International Club, in connection with the installation ceremony of its office-bearers, including Janak Raj Sarangal as president and Sandeep Mahajan as secretary, said while the country was gripped with economic and narco terrorism, the rulers had been playing dirty politics instead of giving a fatal blow to these evils.

Addressing a press conference late last night, Bitta said Pakistan had initiated economic and narco terrorism in India in a big way by pumping fake currency notes and narcotics in all parts of India. The authorities concerned, had miserably failed to control the menace.

He added that what was required in the present situation was to deal with the misadventures and anti-India activities of Pakistan with an iron hand and that the nation must be taught a lesson so that they could not indulge in such activities again.

He alleged that Paramjit Singh Sarna, former president of Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Managing Committee had been trying to disturb the atmosphere by raising certain irrelevant issues, which could start a caste war in the state.

He also added that no political party should interfere in matters related to Sikhs and their religious places. 

Jalandhar, August 8
Body of a domestic help was found in a park adjacent to the Geeta Temple in Model Town last night. According to the police, Manshrif, a migrant labourer, was working as a domestic help with a Model Town-based family and had been to the park along with his employers’ dog.

The body was found with injuries on his head.

While the police suspects that the servant succumbed to injuries which he received on his head, while he had an accident controlling the dog, the medical report in the civil hospital shows that he died due to severe head injures caused by sharp-edged weapons.

Batala, August 8
Santosh, a class four employee of Government Senior Secondary School, Shekhupura, tried to consume Celphos tablets here on Friday alleging harassment by Sulakhan Singh, the principal of the school. She was admitted to the civil hospital, Batala.

Talking to mediapersons from the hospital, Santosh alleged that for the past one year she was being continuously harassed by Sulakhan Singh, who compelled her to develop illicit relations with him.

On one occasion last year, the matter was brought to the knowledge of District Education Officer (DEO), Gurdaspur, but at that time the principal apologised to her.

When things cooled down, Sulakhan again started harassing her. She said she was being physically and mentally tortured by the said principal on one pretext or the other.

Whenever she applied for leave, the principal hassled her, she said, adding that he threatened to cut her salary down id she resisted him.

When the news came into the knowledge of the workers of Shiv Sena (H), they assembled here and raised slogans against the prinicipal and DEO Gurmeet Singh.

When contacted, Gurmeet Singh said the case was already in his knowledge and he would try to solve it at the earliest. On the other hand principal, Sulakhan Singh denied all the allegations.

Tarn Taran, August 8
Agitating teacher organisations have demanded the early transfer of District Education Officer (elementary) Sunita Kiran to “save the atmosphere of education in the district.”

The organisations have been on the agitation path for the last more than two-and-a-half months, demanding the reinstatement of the suspended Block Education Elementary Officer Mangal Singh and Hardeep Singh, Centre Head Teacher, Goindwal Sahib.

The teacher organisations staged a dharna in front of the office of the DEO yesterday and threatened to intensify their agitation in case the government failed to transfer the DEO.

They alleged that by lodging a false criminal case against the teachers, the DEO has not only misused her official influence but also tried to malign the educational atmosphere in the district. — OC