Hoshiarpur, September 2
Activists of the Balmik Samaj, led by President, Balmik Sabha Mohinder Pal, District President of the Socialist Party Sunil Dutt Walia, President Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) Harish Bhalla and President Balmik Naujawan Sabha, Rishi Nagar, Deepak Kumar staged a march, guarded by heavy police force, from the local Clock Tower to Prabhat Chowk today to protest against District Education Officer (DEO) (Secondary) Hukam Singh, for his alleged derogatory communal remarks against the Balmik community and protesting the inaction of the district administration and police against him despite their repeated requests.

The local administration deployed heavy police force in the main bazaars of the city to avert any mishap.

Later, they staged a rally at the Prabhat Chowk and blocked traffic. All the speakers demanded registration of a case against the DEO and his immediate arrest. They warned the district administration that if it failed in performing its duty, they would intensify their agitation.

Later, they presented a memorandum to the SDM, Hoshiarpur, Capt Karnail Singh (retd) in this regard.

Talking to this correspondent, DEO Hukam Singh refuted all the allegations and said he had never made any derogatory or communal remark against 
the community.

He said one Amit Bhandari, who had allegedly been claiming to be close to a local minister, came to him to get permission for a teacher, Rama Bhardwaj, working in the Government Senior Secondary School, Mahilpur, to appear in MSc.

As per rule, the application should be sent through the principal of the school with his recommendation. Moreover, permission could only be granted to those teachers who had obtained at least 50 per cent result for their classes.

The classes Rama had been teaching had obtained just 45 per cent and 47 per cent result in the last two years. Due to the poor results of Rama’s classes, Bhandari was not granted permission.

On being refused, Amit Bhandari and Deepak Kumar, another Balmik youth, allegedly insulted him in the meeting of principals of various Government Senior Secondary Schools and threatened him of dire consequences for which he, along with 25 principals, reported the matter to the Deputy Commissioner and SSP, Hoshiarpur.

He also filed complaints with the Punjab Human Rights Commission (PHRC) and SC and ST Commission. The PHRC had fixed the date of October 9, 2009 for the hearing of the case.

Jalandhar, September 2
Devotees from across the district have started pouring in to pay obeisance at the three-day-long Baba Sodal Mela, which began today. The mela is visited especially by the Chadha community.

The district administration has made adequate arrangements for the public convenience, including fire brigade at Doaba Chowk, medical camps, police and security arrangement and drinking water facility.

The Sodal Mela Trust also put up different stalls right from Shri Devi Talaab Mandir on Doaba Chowk to entire stretch up to Sodal Chowk. People have started thronging Baba Sodal Mandir with their newborns to pay obeisance along with a cavalcade of “dholis”.

Even the newlyweds turn up in a large number to seek blessings of Baba Sodal. Among the high profiles visitors of the city were Jalandhar (North) MLA K.D. Bhandari, former Jalandhar (North) MLA Avtar Henry and industrialist Sheetal Vij.

Devotees offered milk at the statue of Baba Sodal and took a round of the place.

Jalandhar, September 2
A rare wild guest fell prey to its hosts in Mand village located on the busy Jalandhar-Kapurthala road yesterday. According to eyewitnesses, the visitor, a pangolin, was found rambling in the village by certain residents.

The appearance of this toothless anteater in the locality aroused curiosity among residents who started chasing it. The shy scaly mammal rushed for defence and while crossing the main road was run over by a speeding truck.

A gathering of residents, including children and elderly persons, removed the carcass and displayed it maliciously in the area. The carcass reportedly was later tossed in the thickets nearby. Having a body covered with horny scales and a long snout, the pangolin is covered under Schedule (I) of the Wildlife Act. It feeds on ants and termites and is mostly seen during the night. Ironically, the wildlife authorities were not aware of the incident even on the second day.

When contacted, Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife), Jalandhar, K. Kanan, expressed ignorance regarding the death of the mammal. Kanan said he would ask the area officer to confirm the incident and locate the carcass so that its post-mortem examination could be conducted for ascertaining the cause of its death. The necessary action could only be taken on the arrival of the animal for the post-mortem, he said. 

Amritsar, September 2
Striking resemblance to her late sister provided 60-year-old woman Ameena Begum, a resident of Muradabad, Uttar Pradesh, an opportunity to use her sister’s passport to travel to Pakistan illegally.

She made use of it till she was caught by the Immigration authorities at Attari railway station on charges of forgery. It is important to know that a person could not travel to Pakistan within six months of his/her earlier visit. And Ameena had gone to Pakistan in June this year.

Ameena, who closely resembled to her late sister Fatima of Amroha (Uttar Pradesh), had gone to the neighbouring country for at least 10 times --- 6 times on her passport and 4 times on her sister’s passport --- to visit her brother in Karachi.

According to sources, Ameena is illiterate and even could not recall some vital information about herself and her relatives. It is believed that the woman used her visits to bring cheap juttis, other stuff from Pakistan for sale at her native place at higher prices in order to make her living.

Meanwhile, the Immigration authorities have handed Ameena over to the General Railway Police, which has registered a case under section 420 of the IPC and section 12 of the Passport Act against her. She has been sent to one-day police remand, said SHO GRP Manjit Singh adding that further investigations were on.

Amritsar, September 2
How serious dedicated doctors and other government officials are towards their responsibilities was proved when four government doctors and 16 other government officials were found absent from their duty in different parts of Amritsar district.

The absence of doctors and others came to light when ADC Pardeep Kumar Sabharwal conducted a check at primary health centres in different areas of the district on the basis of certain complaints.

The doctors and other officials who were found absent included Medical Officer Dr Balwinder Singh, Dr Sudesh Naaz, Dr Arvinder Kaur, Dr Narinder Kaur (MO-Ayurvedic), Manjit Kumar, chief pharmacist, Rajinder Kaur, staff nurse, Gurvinder Kaur, Baljit Kaur, Paramjit Kaur, Sukhwinder Kaur - all staff nurses, Jaswant Singh, MLT-I, Jaswant Singh, MLT-II, Meeta, ANM, Balwinder Kaur (midwife) and Rattan Lal, Paramjit Kaur and Amarjit Kaur, all class IV employees. They were posted at PHCs falling in Jhabal and Gandiwind areas.

The ADC said Balwinder Singh, Ophthalmic Officer, Baldev Singh, MLT, and Bhupinder Kaur, LHV, were shown to have taken leave but the leave was not sanctioned by any competent officer.

Checking revealed that Pavittar Kaur, Child Development and Project Officer (CDPO), posted at Gandiwind, was found to have been absent, while 171 bags of “panjeeri” received by the office for further disbursal among aanganwadi centres was not entered in the stock registers.

Dr Anup Kumar, ADO, posted at Veterinary Hospital, Jhabal, was found absent.