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Heart Disease Control Programme
Police commissioners appointed
FCI to accept wheat that has lost lustre
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ETT teachers hold protest, burn govt’s effigy
No Shivratri celebrations at Katasraj shrine
Centre to support state on power ventures
Five injured as rail engine, canter collide
Foiling of Robbery Bid
Unbundling of PSEB
Experts: Government must rein in fertility clinics
Birth anniversary of Bhindranwale
Non-disbursal of pension irks employees
Ist evening court inaugurated in state
‘Extortion’: Chemists’ assn seeks CBI probe
High Court
Notice to Punjab, Haryana over traffic violations
Janjua complains against Saini, others
Murder case solved, 2 held
Woman tied to tree, set on fire
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Heart Disease Control Programme Anuja Jaiswal
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 12 Launched in 2008 in collaboration with the
PGI, Chandigarh, the scheme aimed at providing free treatment to students from Classes I to X, who are suffering from rheumatic and congenital heart diseases and belonged to families with low incomes. Exploiting loopholes in the scheme, certain well-off parents, whose children were otherwise studying in private schools, have reportedly availed the benefit of the scheme by admitting their children to government schools only for the purpose of a “free operation”, which costs nearly Rs 1
lakh. While exact numbers of cases are not known, sources said the department had stumbled upon 35 odd instances where children were admitted to government schools a few days before the operation/treatment and then withdrawn and sent back to private schools. Refusing to comment on the number of such cases, state Health Secretary Dr Satish Chandra admitted that a couple of instances had come to light in Ludhiana and Jalandhar after which a detailed survey was being conducted to find out how many people had wrongly benefited from the scheme. “Once the children are identified, we will assess the incomes of their parents and if they are found to be affluent enough to bear the cost of the treatment, the entire scheme will be restructured to plug the loopholes”, he said, adding such misuse was not anticipated. Assistant Director of the Punjab School Health programme Dr KS Dhillon admitted that as per the present format of the scheme, no discrimination could be made if a student joined a government school only with an intention to avail the scheme and withdraw thereafter. He said there was no system available to assess the incomes of the affected children. Giving details, Dr Dhillon said a total of 484 students had been identified under this programme since its launch. Of these, 334 referred to the PGI (70 were operated and 20 given treatment) and 150 to the
DMC, Ludhiana. The entire expenses of surgeries and treatment for these cases were borne by the Punjab government. According to the PGI authorities, the total cost of surgeries for both rheumatic and congenital diseases would be around Rs 13.5 crore in the first year of the
programme. Three departments, Public Health, Cardiology and Cardio Thoracic Unit, are involved in it. Doctors said the prevalence of RHD and CHD is about 1 and 0.84 per 1,000 schoolchildren, respectively. Both diseases affect children in the age group of 5-15 years and Punjab has about 30 lakh students in this age group.
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Police commissioners appointed
Chandigarh, February 12 Apparently, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh
Badal, who holds the Home portfolio, chose a holiday to push the appointments amidst immense lobbying among senior police officers, all of whom were vying for the coveted posts. The government also transferred 11 IAS and two PCS officers today. The government has apparently gone with police officers who have worked during trying times, particularly those in the Intelligence wing. DIG Counter-Intelligence, Gaurav Yadav has been appointed police commissioner of
Jalandhar. Another intelligence officer, Virender Kumar has been appointed police commmissioner of
Amritsar. Virender has successfully handled sensitive situations like those occurring due to clashes with followers of Dera Sachha Sauda as well as recent incidents in
Ludhiana. DIG, Jalandhar Range, Ishwar Singh, has been appointed police commissioner of
Ludhiana. The government has also posted recently promoted IG Jagdish Kumar Mittal as
IG, Computer and Telecommunications, Chandigarh. Other police postings include the appointment of Rohit Choudhary as
IG, Bathinda zone. DIG, Faridkot Range, Jitendra Kumar has been posted as DIG, Ludhiana Range; DIG, Ludhiana Range, SS Chouhan becomes DIG, Jalandhar Range; DIG, CM Security, NS Dhillon becomes DIG, Faridkot Range; SSP Amritsar (City) PK Rai becomes Deputy Commissioner, Police,
Jalandhar; SSP, Ludhiana, Sukhchain Singh becomes SSP, Bathinda; 6th IR Battalion Commandant Inder Mohan Singh becomes
SSP, Muktsar; SSP, Fatehgarh Sahib, Kaustabh Sharma, becomes Deputy Commissioner, Police,
Amritsar; SSP Muktsar, Gurpreet Singh Gill becomes SSP, Fatehgarh Sahib; SSP
Bathinda, Ashish Choudhary becomes SSP, Jalandhar; while SSP, Jalandhar RK Jaiswal is
AIG, Intelligence in Chandigarh. The government also ordered the posting and transfer of 11 IAS and two PCS officers. Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary, Technical Education and Industrial Training, gets additional charge of chairman, Punjab State Board of Technical Education and Industrial Training. Mandeep Singh
Sandhu, Principal Secretary, Social Security, Development of Women and Children, becomes Principal Secretary, School Education; TR
Sarangal, Principal Secretary, Welfare of SCs and BCs gets additional charge of Principal Secretary, Social Security, Development of Women and
Children. Jasbir Singh Bir, Director-cum-Secretary Cultural Affairs, Archaeology and Museums, becomes Secretary, General Administration; GS
Garewal, Secretary, School Education becomes Commissioner, Patiala Division; Samir Kumar, Secretary, Elections becomes Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice; Vikas Partap Singh, Special Secretary, Finance and Commissioner NRI Affairs get additional charge of NRI affairs; Dr Arvinder Singh, Additional Registrar, Cooperative Societies becomes Secretary Transport in addition to Deputy Commissioner, Gurdwara Elections; VK Sharma, Special Secretary, Revenue, becomes Secretary, Revenue; Hussan Lal has been divested of the post of Secretary,
PSEB, and is now Special Secretary, Tourism and in addition Director-Cum-Special Secretary, Cultural Affairs, Museums, Archives and Archaeology and in addition Director, Tourism and MD,
PTDC, and MR Aggarwal, Special Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice, is Secretary,
PSEB. Two PCS officers who were transferred included Harmesh Singh Pabla as Additional Secretary, Irrigation and Power, and Madhvi Kataria as Director Welfare of SCs and
BCs.
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FCI to accept wheat that has lost lustre
Jalandhar, February 12 Following rejection by the FCI, the Punjab Government took up the matter with the Union Food Ministry, which has assured that it would clear the wheat that has only lost lustre but has not suffered any other loss. “The field staff has been directed to give exact location of such stock”, said a senior official of the Food and Supply Department today. The Centre may depute a team of officials to inspect such stock before giving clearance for acceptance in the Central pool. Sources said the stock was lying in Nawanshahr and some other districts. Meanwhile, the state government has got positive indications from the authorities concerned in the Centre with regard to the clearance of the PAU 201 variety of paddy. “Though we have got nothing officially from the Centre with regard to the clearance of the PAU 201, but unofficially we have got a positive response with regard to the clearance”, said an official of the state government. A Central team had recently collected samples of PAU 201 from various parts for testing against fungal and other infections. After testing, the Union Health Ministry was to give its verdict on the samples. A few days ago, the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had also spoken to the Union Health Minister for early testing of the samples and to give its report. Rice millers have not taken up the milling of the PAU 201 yet because the FCI is not ready to accept it for the Central pool. They had faced lot of problems because of this variety last year also. The state is also facing problem with regard to the procurement of gunny bags. The jute industry is on strike for the past seven weeks. Punjab had placed order to procure 3.68 lakh bales (each bale containing 500 bags). However, it has received only 14,000 bales till date. Sources said the Centre has urged Punjab to procure plastic bags, which were also procured last year. However, officials of the government procurement agencies were strongly opposed to the procurement of such sheet bags. They say that the quality of wheat deteriorates fast in such bags.
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ETT teachers hold protest, burn govt’s effigy
Bathinda, February 12 The day proved quite hectic for the Bathinda police as on one side Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was in the city at Rajindra College, on the other side, protesters were firm to burn the effigy outside the mini secretariat, which is located just opposite to the college. To prevent protesters reaching there, all roads leading to the mini secretariat were cordoned off by installing various barricades on the way. Earlier, they assembled in Teachers’ Home in the city. One SP rank official, along with DSPs and SHOs, were deployed to negotiate with them to cancel their protest. Hours-long negotiation attempts proved futile, when the agitators expressed their reluctance from deferring their scheduled move. Finally, accepting their demands, cops allowed them to carry out their march. Encircled in cops, the agitating ETT teachers, including women staff, held protest in city markets and raised anti-government slogans. They demanded wages as per the new pay scale along with shifting of their posts under the education department. “Though building all round pressure upon us, state government managed getting our Lambi rally deferred, which was otherwise scheduled for today, we successfully held statewide rallies and burnt the effigies of government, which is our victory,” said leaders of protesters. After setting the effigy on fire, protesters demanded the release of their party activists, including district president Jagmel Singh who were sent to jail to sabotage Lambi rally. The administration accepted their demand and set freed all arrested teachers.
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No Shivratri celebrations at Katasraj shrine
Amritsar, February 12 Nearly 200 Hindu pilgrims from India have been going to Katasraj in jathas every year to celebrate the festival since 1981. However, this was for the first time that no jatha could go there. The All-India Hindu Shiv Sena had boycotted the pilgrimage programme saying the Centre’s newly introduced condition that pilgrims should file an affidavit that they will be responsible for their safety and security in the neighbouring country is not acceptable to it. All-India Hindu Shiv Sena chief Surinder Kumar Bill has threatened to launch an agitiation if Muslim pilgrim
jathas-coming to India to pay obeisance at different shrines- were not stopped. “We have written to the PM about this. Hindu pilgrims were allowed to go freely to Pakistan under the Rajiv
Gandhi-Benajir 1989 Pact. But now, our own government is imposing conditions on Hindus. It is not acceptable to us,” said
Billa. According to him, the Katasraj shrine was opened only for the visit of Hindu pilgrims every year. “Since no pilgrim could go there from India and Pakistani Hindus need permission to enter Chakwal district in Pakistan, the shrine remained locked today,”Billa added.
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Centre to support state on power ventures
Amritsar, February 12 “Every kind of protection would be provided to those who are under threat. India cannot be allowed to be disintegrated. Each and every Indian is free to live and earn anywhere in the country,” said former Maharashtra CM Sushil Kumar Shinde, who was here for “Independent Power Producers Meet” held today. Talking about Centre’s initiative for Punjab on power front, Shinde said: “The Centre is ready to extend every possible support to the state for the generation of power”. “Punjab can set up LPG-based or other power generation plants and we will support the state government. I have already talked to the Chief Minister regarding the matter. I think that states should become self-reliant by generating more power. They should not look towards the Centre as demand for electricity is growing everyday,” said Shinde. Shinde was all praise for the private players, who according to him, were making a significant contribution in the power sector by generating more and more power. “Their share is increasing and we are getting more and more investments in power sectors thanks to private players. If their share was just about 16 per cent till about two years ago, now it has touched 28 per cent and we are hoping that it will reach the 50 per cent mark shortly,” said Shinde. Talking about free power to farmers and others, Shinde said states could provide farmers or the poor with free power, but those making provisions for free power (read politicians) should ensure that the money spent on the exercise must be deposited with the state boards. “Even when I was the Maharashtra CM in 2004, I did the same. We had provided free power to famine-affected people for four months, but I had ensured that the state power board got an amount of Rs 400 crores for supporting them at the behest of the state government,” he said. Shinde said as many as, 11 ultra-mega power projects, each costing about Rs 16,000 crores, were in the pipeline so as to make the country self-reliant in the power sector. “Five of these projects have already come up in good shape. We are satisfied about these projects,” said Shinde adding that 78,000 MW of power was scheduled to be generated during the next two years of the the 11th five year plan.
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Five injured as rail engine, canter collide
Ferozepur, February 12 The locomotive was going from Ferozepur to Bhatinda when the accident happened near the unmanned crossing No C-57, near locomotive shed, at 1.05 pm today. The inured have been identified as Sunny, Ravi and Jashanpreet (10) Srikant (12). Motorcyclist Bhola also suffered injuries, who was going on his bike when the canter turned over. Residents blocked the rail traffic for some time and demanded action against the persons responsible for the incident. Meanwhile, rail officials said the driver of the canter was at fault as he failed to spot the locomotive. However, the inquiry into the incident has been initiated.
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CM gives Rs 1 lakh to boy Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 12 The Chief Minister also announced that the state government would bear the expenditure of his studies. He also asked the authorities to make arrangements to send him to school in which he wanted to study.
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Two months’ extension
for state
Prabhjot Singh/TNS
Chandigarh, February 12 Though the Punjab Government wanted a four-month extension in its endeavour to work out all modalities before formally going in for the trifurcation of the Punjab State Electricity Board, the Union Power Ministry has agreed to a two-month extension. Now, Punjab has time till April 15 this year to start the process of unbundling its electricity board in accordance with the provisions of the All-India Electricity Act. Various unions and organisations of both employees of the PSEB and also of farmers have been opposing the unbundling of the board on various pleas, including that bifurcation or trifurcation of the board would not only render hundreds of employees jobless but also put a heavy financial burden on the state exchequer. Organisations of farmers and workers had organised a protest in the city against the government move of unbundling the power board. The farmers and workers believe that the state was being forced to follow the Union Government’s orders on diktats from international financial organisations like the World Bank and the IMF. Some organisations, anticipating no further extension to the state, had already given a call for dharnas and demonstrations for next week The latest reprieve will see the SAD-BJP government through the coming Budget session.
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Experts: Government must rein in fertility clinics
Chandigarh, February 12 Community health activist Dr Avnish Jolly said In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) clinics were being misused by couples who want sons. “Many such clinics give assurances to the couples that they would have a son,” he said. Director Health Services Dr JP Singh said a beginning had been made in this direction with the government making it compulsory for doctors to register such clinics. Dr Sabu George, the one-man army, which had led to the implementation of the PNDT Act 10 years ago, said the states of Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir had failed to tackle the issue of female foeticide adequately. “It is not just the failure of the state governments, but of the civil society too. Crores of rupees have been used by NGOs across these states but the results are not forthcoming,” he said. “A marginal improvement in the sex ratio as claimed by the state government after 10 years is not an achievement, especially when the ratio is skewed by over 100 points,” he said. Quoting an example of the Delhi government, George said most government figures of girls were being fudged. “It is not female foeticide. It is a genocide of girls that is taking place and the government is now slackening its attitude towards medical criminals, who are helping in killing baby girls,” he added. Passing a scathing remark on the ‘useless’ campaign ‘nanhi chaan’ of Harsimrat Badal to curb female foeticide, George said: “Some days ago, I met Harsimrat Badal in Delhi and asked her to raise voice against many internet advertisements that offer to determine the sex of the foetus. She did not bother,” he said. Growing trees will not curb this menace, he added. Professor of the Sociology Department Dr Sherry Sabharwal said the genesis of the problem laid in the way the women looked at themselves and the lack of confidence ingrained in them by parents. Dr Ashiwni Nanda spoke about the decline in the total fertility ratio of Punjab from 5 in the early 70s to 2.1 in the negative impact on the skewed sex ratios. Dr Kanchan Chandan of the VHAP pointed towards the increasing number of single son families in the state.
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Birth anniversary of Bhindranwale
Fatehgarh Sahib, February 12 “We will create a separate nation with peace and continuous agitation,” he said. He urged the SAD(B) voters to support the cause of Khalistan and remember those who had sacrificed their lives for Sikhism and Khalistan. The SAD leaders proposed 20 points’ agenda, prominent of which included eradication of all social evils, solution of national problems, merger of UT Chandigarh into Punjab and other Punjabi speaking areas in the state. Speakers said people should remain united against all social evils and atrocities on Punjabis and other minority communities in India and abroad. They said unemployment was increasing and situation of farmers was pitiable in the state due to wrong policies of the state and Central Government.
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Non-disbursal of pension irks employees
Patiala, February 12 Association leaders said nearly 800 pensioners were awaiting the pension for about six months. Association vice-president Roopjeet Kaushal said: “I am in dire need of pension because of my poor health. I had asked the authorities concerned too but nothing had been done.” He said there are 800 other pensioners too who were suffering. The leaders said they had sent many representations to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in this regard but to no avail.—TNS
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Ist evening court inaugurated in state
Jalandhar, February 12 Earlier, Supreme Court Judge Justice Surinder Singh Nijjar and HC CJ Mukul Mudgal inaugurated first evening court of Punjab in judicial courts complex in Jalandhar and laid the foundation stone of the chambers of the lawyers on the old courts premises. Presiding over the function, the HC CJ attributed huge backlog of cases due to the shortage of judges. Evening courts are need of the hour for speedy disposal of petty cases, he said, adding that the other three places where the same courts have started functioning concurrently are Ludhiana, Amritsar and Patiala. Justice Nijjar, who was the chief guest on the occasion, encouraged law students to adopt law as their profession, despite there was not much money in practicing law. A souvenir on Jalandhar, along with a DBA directory, was also released during the function. HC judges Justice Mehtab Singh Gill, also the chairman of building committee Punjab, Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia, also the administrative judge of sessions division Jalandhar, were among those who spoke on the occasion. Several judges and lawyers were also honoured on the occasion for their contribution to the judicial system.
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‘Extortion’: Chemists’ assn seeks CBI probe
Moga, February 12 The chemists’ association has dispatched letters to the President and the Prime Minister, demanding a CBI probe while the High Court has summoned Moga SSP Ashok Bath, Inspector Satnam Singh, the kingpin of the “extortion racket” and ASI Amar Singh in the court on February 16 in a case filed against them by five chemists. The complainants - Parwinder Singh, Ranjit Pal Singh, Lajpal Singh, Apar Singh and Kuldip Singh- have alleged that they were being harassed by the SHOs of both police stations of Moga town and one after the other, cases were registered against them. They said after a HC warrant officer found Apar Singh illegally detained by the police and an inquiry was initiated against Inspector Satnam Singh, other police officials were “pressurising” them to withdraw the case and were also not being allowed to open their shops. Justice Ajai Lamba, while hearing the case on February 8, had directed the SSP, who was present in the court, “to ensure that respondents no 3 to 5 (SHOs of both police stations and Satnam Singh) shall not create any impediment in opening their shops”. Justice Lamba has again summoned the SSP and other officials on February 16 so as to explain under what circumstances criminal cases were registered after the warrant officer released one of them from illegal detention, the inquiry of which is pending before the Moga Chief Judicial Magistrate. Meanwhile, the association has alleged that Satnam Singh, Amar Singh, former in charge of Narcotics and Drugs Cell, SI Ram Singh, SHO (police station south), and a few other police officials had registered false criminal cases against them without the consent of the drug Inspector, even as the police has no power to register cases under the NDPS Act “Only the drug inspector under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act is competent to take by filing a complaint before a Magistrate and no FIR is registered under such cases as per the law”, they stated. Alleging that police officials involved in the “extortion racket” were being shielded by state Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla and some Akali leaders of the ruling party, the association has also given details of as many as nine FIRs registered under the NDPS Act by planting “mysterious powder”’ of manufactured drugs against chemists only for the purpose of extorting crores of rupees from them.
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PIL against Sukhbir’s directions to DCs
Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 12 In a petition filed in public interest against Sukhbir, the state of Punjab and the police chief, Barrister Himmat Singh Shergill has asserted that the direction to the DCs is “prima facie in violation of the oath of office and secrecy taken by him”; and is “prima facie fascist cadre building” exercise. Referring to a media report of February 7, Shergill has asserted that a perusal of the news item shows the Deputy CM, who is also state Home Minister and president of the SAD, has sent a list of 40 party workers and leaders to the DCs. They have been asked to give priority to them or else face the music. Shergill has added that the report, if true, prima facie establishes that Sukhbir has violated oath of office and secrecy taken by him. He further stated that Sukhbir “is not discharging faithfully and conscientiously discharging his duties as a minister for the State of Punjab”. The petitioner has added the minister was inflicting fear upon the DCs and ordering them to favour handpicked Akali leaders and workers. “These are fascist ways of cadre building that are unacceptable and illegal in democracy…. It is law which rules and no politician or officer can act in a whimsical, arbitrary manner.” Before concluding, he has asked for “direction for investigation by an independent police force or agency like the CBI that is not under control of the Punjab government. The petition will come up on Monday.
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Notice to Punjab, Haryana over traffic violations
Chandigarh, February 12 Taking up a contempt petition filed by advocate Ajay Singh of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Bhalla has asked these governments to explain why they should not be proceeded against contempt of the High Court directions of July 9, 1998. In a judgment dated July 9, 1998, a Division Bench headed by Justice Swatananter Kumar had issued wide-ranging traffic regulation directions in the case ‘Namit Kumar vs UT Chandigarh’. In his order, Justice Bhalla noted that the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act were breached with impunity and their implementation was more often than not confined to fines, which were even otherwise paltry. “In civilised societies, vehicles stop to give way to vulnerable road users like pedestrians. In India it is the other way round, indeed lawlessness is at its worst display on Indian roads. Consequently, the accident rate is intolerably high; 35 per thousand vehicles. In contrast for several developed and developing countries it is in the range of 4-15. According to the World Road Statistics, the per vehicle casualty rate is the highest for India,” wrote Justice Bhalla quoting from an article written by Ram Singh, a teacher in the Delhi School of Economics. “With just one per cent of the number of vehicles in the world, we account for 10 per cent of fatalities. On an average, over 400 people die or get permanently incapacitated in road accidents everyday. Even by conservative estimates, economic costs of accidents and congestion are at least 3 per cent of the GDP. ” he further quoted.
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Janjua complains against Saini, others
Chandigarh, February 12 Janjua has alleged that these officers took law in their hands and were guilty of violating various provisions of the
CrPC. Naming Sumedh Singh Saini, Director, Vigilance, SS Mand, SP, Vigilance, RS
Brar, DSP, Vigilance, TR Mishra, a Ludhiana-based industrialists and some other unknown persons, Jangua alleged that these persons conspired to “trap him” in a false case. The Sector 17 Police Station has treated Janjua’s complaint and converted it into an
FIR. Janjua has maintained that the allegations of his having demanded Rs 6 lakh made by Ludhiana industrialist TR Mishra “are lies”. “His
(Mishra’s) file was disposed of on November 1, 2009 with an observation to send his case to the PSIEC (Punjab Small Scale Industries Corporation) for decision as per their policy and the applicant also be informed”. He said allegations that he demanded bribe on November 9, when the case had already been disposed of on November 1, was
absurd. Janjua has asked for registration of a case against the Vigilance officials under Section 154 of the CrPc and other unknown persons for offences under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 166 (Public servant disobeying law), 195 (for fabricating false evidence), 211 (False charge with intent to injure), 220(confinement contrary to law), 342(wrongful confinement), 344(wrongful confinement for more than 10 days), 347(wrongful confinement to extort property), 348(wrongful confinement to extort confession), 353(assault on public servant), 365(Kidnapping to confine secretly), 452 (Criminal Trespass) and 500
(Defamation). Janjua’s allegations are that the Punjab Vigilance Bureau has no powers whatsoever to take action against any person in
Chandigarh. They might be having powers under the CrPc and other Acts within the limits of Punjab, but outside Punjab they are just ordinary persons. They are all employees of the Punjab government and their powers are limited to the state. The IAS officer was picked up from his office in the Udhyog
Bhavan, Sector 17, Chandigarh while doing official work by SS Mand, RS Brar and other Vigilance officials. “They claimed that they had taken out one envelope from drawer of my table and further averred that it contained money. I kept protesting that I am innocent and that I had not demanded or accepted anything from TR
Mishra, but they did not listen to me”, Janjua has said in his FIR.
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Murder case solved, 2 held
Malerkotla, February 12 The couple was living alone in their house as one of their sons was a solider in the Army and another was living in a foreign country. The police said Butta Singh, son of Swaran Singh, resident of Imamgarh Road, Chetan Nagar here, who was the son of deceased's sister, entered their house with his friend Shamsher Singh, alias, Bittu, on the intervening night of February 5 and 6, saying that their bike had developed a fault. Relying on them, the couple allowed them to stay there. In the night, Butta and Shamsher consumed liquor and assaulted the couple with knives. After killing them, they fled and also took away some gold ornaments and mobile phones of the couple. The police has arrested Butta Singh and Shamsher Singh and recovered gold ornaments, two mobile phones, and the knives used in the crime.
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Woman tied to tree, set on fire
Bhagta Bhai Ka (Bathinda), February 12 Instead of putting efforts to crack the mystery, which had spread panic in the district, many of the cops of this police post, including their in charge, were busy in keeping the protesting ETT teachers away from the CM, who inaugurated an ayurvedic fair ‘Arogya’ in Bathinda. When The Tribune team asked about the status of investigation, the police officials present at Bhagta police post said, “Many of our colleagues along with in charge are on VIP duty. We will plan fresh strategy after they return. Moreover, it is a complicated case, which will take time in getting cracked.” The incident came to light yesterday morning when the police and some social volunteers got information that some stray dogs were devouring an almost burnt body, lying along the Raunta canal distributary. Eyewitnesses said the body was almost charred. The police sent the body to the Civil Hospital, Rampura, for post-mortem examination, after which it was handed over to a group of social volunteers, who reportedly cremated it. Meanwhile, a case under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered against unknown persons. Panic-stricken villagers informed that instead of depending upon the police investigation, they had initiated a drive to ascertain the identity of the deceased. “We have been visiting door to door to check whether any woman of such age and description had gone missing from the village,” said Jaspal Singh. Manoj Kumar, in charge of the Bhagta police post, said, “As of now, we don’t have any clue about the identity of the deceased or the cause of incident. But we have been putting efforts to crack the case as a message has been flashed in all surrounding villages to report us if any woman of such age and description had been missing.”
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Amritsar, February 12
Ferozepur, February 12
Bathinda, February 12
