Abohar
Cong councillors protest: The Congress councillors have resolved to hold a massive demonstration and gherao the president, executive officer and sanitary inspector of the Municipal Council (MC), a senior councilor, Sanjeev Chahar, informed on Thursday. Alleging that the BJP- led council had completely sabotaged the sincere efforts made by SDM Amit Dhaka, to make the sub-divisional town clean and green, the Congress members said thousands of residents were suffering because of negligence on the part of the sanitation wing of the MC. Councillors Suman Taneja and Naresh Wadhwa said that the council president had simply befooled the people by laying foundation stone for renovation of the sewerage system in ward 1 on August 18. But there has been no improvement in the situation.

National karate championship: Sangeeta Rani of Gopi Chand Arya Mahila College here has clinched gold medal in the senior 40-44 kg weight category in the National Karate Championship, organised recently by the KKI Karate International Federation at Ghaziabad, coach Avtar Illahi informed on Thursday. Aruna Sokhal and Simran Verma of the Government Model High School returned home with silver medals that they had won in the junior and sub-junior category respectively in the same tournament.

Batala
Wedding over; procession heads home: After attending the marriage anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, which was performed here yesterday, the devotees who had come here from Sultanpur Lodhi with the marriage party went back today. In this connection, Rajinder Singh, President, Gurudwara Satkartarian, said that the participants of the marriage party, who had come here in 22 buses and six cars, went back today. Even other participants who visited Batala on the occasion had a night’s stay at various gurdwaras like Gurdwara Kandh Sahib (where the marriage ceremony was performed), Gurdwara Dera Sahib, Gurdwara Singh Sabha and even at Maharaja Jassa Singh Ramgarhia Hall.

Bathinda
Van Mahotsav celebrated: The DAV College, Bathinda, in collaboration with the 27th Battalion ITBP celebrated Van Mahotsav on Thursday. Commandant S.K Chaudhary and deputy commandant R.K. Verma accompanied by around 50 jawans provided the plants. Principal of the college, Dr J.S. Anand, and other teachers planted the saplings along with the ITBP personnel. The college has planted 15,000 saplings till now and aims at planting one lakh saplings.

MES worker dies: Mystery shrouds the death of an MES worker, Kehar Singh, who was found dead at his rented accommodation at Raam Baag road, here, on Thursday. Sources said that there were injury marks around his genitals. When the police reached the spot, they detected smell of liquor from his mouth. Suspecting foul play, police sent the body for postmortem and initiated inquest proceedings under section 174 of the CrPC.

Banur
Swati excels in MBA exam: Swati Singla, a student of Aryans Business School stood first in the MBA fourth semester exam conducted by Punjab Technical University. She secured 80 per cent marks in the exam. Wahid Jilani stood second with 77 per cent marks and Sakshi Mehdiratta third with 76.5 per cent marks. Anshu Kataria, chairman, Aryans Business School, congratulated faculty members and students for their brilliant performance.

Fazilka
Seven booked for assault: The police in Fazilka have booked seven persons on Thursday in connection with assault, misbehaviour, manhandling and interruption in performance of the government duty by police officials. These officials were accompanying a team of the Municipal Council officials engaged in evacuating encroachment on the municipal land near newly constructed mini-secretariat on Wednesday evening. MC land officer, Rajesh Kumar, registered an FIR with the city police, Fazilka, in which, it has been stated that some people had encroached upon a room and verandah of old octroi-post near the mini-secretariat. Some of them had raised kiosks near the post. When the encroachment was being removed, the occupants attacked, manhandled a police official and disrupted the duties of the MC officials.

GURDASPUR
Cong for sack of Badal govt: State’s Congress chief Mohinder Singh Kaypee said on Thursday a delegation of the party would meet the Union Home Minister next week to seek sack of the SAD-BJP government following poor and law order in the state. “ People have been feeling unsafe under the Chief Ministership of Parkash Singh Badal,” said Kaypee.

Hanumangarh
Controversy on DC’s transfer: By transferring Hanumangarh District Collector (DC) Naveen Jain back to Baran, the Congress in Rajasthan led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, has sparked off controversies. He had replaced Mugdha Sinha, another efficient  DC with neat and clean image, just seven months back. While sources in the ruling Congress party indicated that Haryana-born Naveen Jain has been shifted back to Baran on the request of the ruling party workers there, independent observers have reasons to refute it.

New DC in Hanumangarh:Dr Ravi Kumar Surpur took over as District Collector at Hanumangarh on Thursday afternoon.He has been transferred from Jaisalmer. Hailing from Gulbarga town of Karnataka, Dr Surpur had also served as SDM in Mount Abu and Balotra in Barmer district.

HOSHIARPUR
‘Snap ties with BJP’: The Dal Khalsa has urged the Akali leaders to snap ties with the BJP . Kanwarpal Singh of the Dal Khalsa said the BJP had lost relevance, ideological moorings and credibility. ‘Akalis should read the writing on the wall and end unholy and unprincipled alliance with the Hindutva party". Akalis should have understanding with regional parties votary of ‘autonomy to states’, said he. He said it was time to discover real culprits responsible for partition and bloodshed in which almost 10 lakh were slaughtered.

Jalandhar
Office-bearers of leather federation: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Punjab Leather Federation: president - Lt-Col J.S. Paul (retd); senior vice-president - Satish Kumar Dhir; vice-president - Anil Gharu; secretary - B.S. Toor; joint secretary - Pawan Kumar; and treasurer - Asim Karda. L.D. Sallan and Raminder Judge have been nominated as members of the executive committee.

LUDHIANA
Four aides of ex-militant held: The police on Thursday raided former terrorist Daljit Singh Bittu’s office of Akali Dal Panch Pardhani situated near circuit house and arrested his four aides in connection with the arrest of Balbir Singh Bhootna. The police has also confiscated the records and computers from the office. It is learnt that Balbir has been working as a driver for Bittu, who managed to flee. The arrested persons are in charge of Sikh Shahadat Magazine Navdeep Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Jaspal Singh and Raju. The police has also arrested Pavitar Singh from Tarn Taran.

Police remand for one: Judicial Magistrate Sushma Devi on Thursday remanded Parminder Singh, alias Channi, who was arrested in connection with an attack on a Tribune team during the general elections in May, in one-day police custody. Assistant public prosecutor Amandeep Singh had sought the police remand of the accused with the plea that they wanted to recover the camera snatched by the accused from Tribune’s photo journalist.