Bathinda, March 6
Former president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) Bibi Jagir Kaur today cautioned the Sikhs to remain vigilant over the activities of the Congress party during the ensuing SGPC elections. She said though the Congress did not take part in the SGPC elections directly on its symbol, it fielded its supporters as independent candidates to take the control of the SGPC in its hands indirectly. So the Sikhs should ensure that such persons could not emerge victorious in the ensuing SGPC elections, she added.

To a question here today, Bibi Jagir Kaur said everyone knew that the Congress party had interfered every time in the SGPC elections as it wanted to "harm" the Sikh principles. She also said the Congress had no connection with the Sikh religion as it had always tried to demolish the gurdwaras. Regarding the presence of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, the SAD (Longowal) and others during the ensuing SGPC elections, she said even if they contested the elections as a joint front, they could not harm the prospects of the SAD in any way.

Regarding denial of tickets to some sitting SGPC members, she said allotment of tickets was the prerogative of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal while she had only to recommend the names of candidates from the Bathinda district as the district observer of the SAD for the ensuing SGPC elections. She expressed the hope that the ensuing SGPC elections might be held by December-end.

Babi Jagir Kaur said that the president of the SAD Sukhbir Singh Badal would hold a meeting of the district observers for the SGPC elections after three months, in which the observers would submit their reports. She also asked the Bathinda district president of the SAD Sikander Singh Maluka to announce the names of all office-bearers of the district unit of the SAD by March 31.

She today participated in a meeting of the SAD workers and leaders, organised in connection with the ensuing SGPC elections, at the Haji Rattan Gurdwara here. She and the other speakers urged the workers to enroll more voters in their respective areas for the SGPC elections.

Among others who were present were Chief Parliamentary Secretary Jagdip Singh Nakai, Sikander Singh Maluka, Chiranji Lal Garg, Sarup Chand Singla, and Amarjit Singh Sidhu. 

Muktsar, March 6
Two labourers, both cousins, died of asphyxiation inside the manhole of the main sewer line, which was under construction, at Jalalabad road, here today. Police has booked the contractor Ashok Kumar for negligence as the labourers were put on job without providing with safety equipment.

Sources said the sewer line was almost complete and the contractor was getting it finally examined before handing it over to department concerned.

Two labourers, Raju Singh and Ruldu Singh, were put on the job to demolish the temporary wall raised inside the sewer line and check it thoroughly. After testing, they were sucking out the water flown in it, with a machine.

After some time, Ruldu Singh went for some work and Raju Singh kept doing the job. Meanwhile, due to some technical fault in the machine, he entered the manhole and did not return for a couple of minutes. Suspecting something wrong, onlookers assembled.

Lal Singh, cousin of Raju reached there and went inside the manhole to pull him out. However, he too did not come out. People then informed the police. Taking the help of people and some experts, police managed to pull both of them out of the manhole. Finding them unconscious, police rushed them to Civil Hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead. SHO police station (city), Davinder Singh said, "We have booked the contractor Ashok Kumar. But he is still absconding."

Ferozepur, March 6
In two separate incidents, the sleuths of Border Security Force (BSF) have captured two persons roaming under suspicious conditions near the barbed wire fencing along the Indo-Pakistan border in Ferozepur sector.

As per BSF sources, a Pakistani national identified as Mohammed Shaheen was arrested near the border outpost (BOP) Harbhajan yesterday while he was trying to sneak inside Indian territory. BSF sleuths recovered an identity card along with some Pakistani currency from his possession. Meanwhile, sleuths belonging to 130 Battalion apprehended a person roaming near the fencing near BOP Jagdish close to Hussaniwala yesterday. The person has been identified as Krishan Murari, a resident of Bihar.