Chandigarh, March 24
Just over two years after “immolation” by four of a family in Bathinda district sent shock waves across the state, a judicial probe has indicted the Punjab Police for fabricating evidence, abetting suicide, dereliction of duty and misrepresenting facts. The cops have also been held at fault for “faking visits” to get the victims declared proclaimed offenders in an attempt to murder case.

Bathinda district and sessions judge Kuldip Singh has asserted victim Gurjant Singh and his daughter Veerpal Kaur were indeed “harassed on account of registration of FIR number 109 of 2005”.

Gurjant Singh and his family, putting up in Behman Jassa Singh village, had set themselves afire after being “hounded by the police”. The report says they had poured kerosene on themselves to scare away the cops, after the police entered the house by scaling the wall. Instead of dousing the fire, the cops escaped from the spot and planted kerosene cans.

Bringing the incident to the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s notice, the World Human Rights Protection Council, through chairman Ranjan Lakhanpal, had sought an independent probe.

The inquiry officer has asserted the police never visited Gurjant Singh’s house, as claimed in the case diary. Gurjant Singh and Veerpal Kaur were “got declared proclaimed offenders by misstating the facts. The true facts of the FIR were never verified by the police by conducting an inquiry before deciding to arrest the two. Fair inquiry could have clearly established that the occurrence, as alleged, did not take place”. Moreover, “the arrest should have been made during the day” as Veerpal Kaur was a woman.

The sessions judge has added the raiding party on September 29, 2007, disconnected power supply to the house, apparently to use “some force”. As a result, “the entire family was scared and Gurjant Singh in order to scare away the police party put some kerosene on himself and on his wife… Daughters Beant Kaur and Veerpal Kaur also put kerosene on themselves for the same reason and probably lit the matchstick to scare away the police party. But one of the victims caught fire. Then, the family started embracing each other, probably to save each other, but also caught fire….

“The act of the police in disappearing from the scene of crime after Gurjant Singh and his family put themselves on fire is an illegal omission…. Inspector Mohinder Kumar Ghai, ASI Amritpal Singh, ASI Gurjant Singh, SPO Kaka Singh, HC Mander Singh, HC Surjit Singh, HC Major Singh, PHG Amrik Singh and MC Mohinder Singh have committed the offence of abetment of suicide,” the sessions judge has concluded. The report will come up on April 29 before the high court for consideration.

Mansa, March 24
Claiming to have busted an interstate gang of kidnappers, Mansa police today recovered the 27-year-old son of a renowned doctor couple of the town from Narvana in Haryana. The police arrested four accused and recovered an SUV from their possession.

The kidnapping had created panic in the town as the youth was reportedly picked on gun point from a market located near the police station on Monday. The accused had been repeatedly seeking a ransom of Rs one crore from his parents, with threat to boy’s life, if the police was informed.

Hailing the success of the cops, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was here today, announced a reward of Rs one lakh along with appreciation letters to all four police teams, constituted for the purpose. Meanwhile, he assured promotions to all deserving members of the teams.

Giving details, senior police officials disclosed that the boy in question Puneet Bansal was kidnapped outside his cement store located near police station (city) on Monday.

Immediately after the incident, the alleged kidnappers, using his mobile phone, started calling his parents, namely, Dr Satpal Bansal and Dr Pushp Lata. They demanded a ransom of Rs one crore and threatened them with dire consequences if they informed the police.

However, information reached the police and verifying the preliminary aspects, a case under sections 364-A, 365, 148, 149 of the IPC and 25 Arms Act was registered at police station (city) Mansa on the same day.

Further, four special teams had been constituted to trace the kidnapped boy. During the mission, police took the parents of the boy along with them. Collecting clues through various sources, including searching mobile towers, the cops traced the location of the accused at Narvana in Haryana.

Conducting a raid, police recovered the boy and nabbed four of the accused namely Mandeep Singh of Rohtak, Joginder Singh of Rohtak (Haryana), Harwinder Singh alias Kaka of village Dhade (Bathinda) and Vicky of Nangal Kalan village. However, other accomplices managed to flee from the spot. Police seized the vehicle used in crime, a Scorpio bearing number HR 56 7222.

Talking to The Tribune, SSP Mansa HS Mann said the accused kept on shifting their locations, which remained challenging for the investigation teams. They took the boy to various villages of district Bathinda, Barnala and Sangrur. Then, they crossed the inter-state barrier and entered Haryana.

During the interrogation, four of the arrested alleged kidnappers named nine accomplices as Nirmal Singh, Saurav alias Rinku, Satpal Singh and Gurpreet Singh alias Mota, all belonging to Mansa, Sonu DK of Rohtak (Haryana), Veer Bahadur alias Kala, Sukhdev Singh of Bhaathua of Moonak (Sangrur), Kuldip Singh alias Deepa and Motu of Lehragaga (Sangrur).

Giving credit to the efforts of teams constituted under DSP Rajvir Singh, SHO city Sulakhan Singh, SHO Sadar (Budhalada) Avtar Singh and SHO Jodkian Karamjeet Singh, the SSP said, “We have succeeded in breaking through the mystery but efforts are on to arrest remaining nine absconding accused.”

Bathinda, March 24
State president of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) Kiranjit Singh Gehri has demanded registration of a criminal case under Section 307 and other sections of the IPC against those who allegedly “beat up” and injured three persons, said to be traders from Gujarat, on March 21 on the pretext that they were carrying cows in two trucks.

Gehri said here today that several persons using the names of two Hindu religious bodies intercepted two trucks (near Phus Mandi railway level crossing) in which the traders , namely Jaan Mohammad, Isu Mohammad and Ibrahim, were transporting bulls and calves after purchasing the same from Malerkotla cattle market. He alleged that the miscreants attacked the traders, hurt them seriously and got a case registered against them under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Gehri demanded withdrawal of the case registered against the traders, return of bulls and calves to them and a strict legal action against those who attacked the traders from other states. — TNS

Bathinda, March 24
Under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), as many as 2,184 patients were treated in the calendar year 2009 at directly observed treatment centres (DOTs), dispensaries and hospitals in this district.

However, in the light of population, a target of 3,284 patients was set for the district. It achieved about 67 per cent of it. Meanwhile, a health official said there could be patients who either got treatment from private medical practitioners or were ignorant about their disease so far or want to hide their disease due to social stigma attached to the TB.

The patients treated in 2009 under the RNTCP include 872 new sputum positive cases. It may be noted that a sputum positive patient can infect 10 to 15 healthy persons in a year. Among the patients treated, 439 were new sputum negative cases while 345 were found suffering from TB other than lungs (new extra pulmonary cases). However, 528 patients fall in the category of re-treatment category.

In January 2010, 137 patients got treatment under the RNTCP in the district and 182 patients were treated in February. In the first two months of this year, 140 new sputum positive cases were detected.

Meanwhile, the Dost Welfare Society, a local NGO, in collaboration with the district health society observed the World TB Day here today by organising a TB awareness-cum-examination camp in a slum area at local Sanjay Nagar. About 170 persons were examined at the camp while seven of them were referred for sputum examination.

On the occasion, assistant civil surgeon Dr Indu Bhushan Aggarwal elaborated on the RNTCP while district TB officer Dr Rakesh Kumar Gupta disseminated information about the symptoms of the disease like high fever, loss of appetite, loss of weight and cough for more than two weeks.

District Red Cross secretary JR Goyal urged the persons suspected of suffering from TB to avail of free treatment under the RNTCP. Area in-charge of the SAD for Bathinda Assembly constituency Sarup Chand Singla also expressed his views.

Moga, March 24
An elderly man (65) died under post-surgical care in the district hospital at Moga on Tuesday a day after surgery for the removal of a collection of clear fluid in the thin walled sack of the testicles was performed on him.

Kartar Singh, brother of the deceased Mukhtiar Singh, a resident of nearby Daata village while talking to The Tribune said that his brother was admitted to the hospital on March 21 and the next day he underwent surgery.

He alleged that on Tuesday morning, Mukhtiar complained of chest pain but no doctor took care of him. The surgeon who performed surgery did not come to visit the patient for post-surgical care, he alleged.

Adding that the para-medical staff gave his brother some medicines, he alleged that the patient did not respond properly and again complained of severe chest pain and died within minutes.

He further said that he had given a written complaint to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) through the doctor on emergency duty but no action has been taken so far. The body has been kept in the mortuary at Singhawala village and cremation was done till Wednesday evening, he revealed.

When contacted, Dr Navraj Singh, who performed surgery on the patient, denied all the allegations saying that the surgery was minor and had nothing to do with the death of the patient. “The patient has actually died of myocardial infarction (heart attack) while electrocardiogram test was being performed on him in my presence,” he said. The Tribune correspondent tried to contact the CMO Dr Kulwant Singh at his residence several times but he was neither present at home nor available on his phone.

District Health Official Dr Arvinder Singh and media in-charge of the CMO Amrit Sharma also could not locate the CMO and did not have his mobile phone number.

Last week, after joining the office, the CMO had plainly refused to give his mobile phone number to the media persons. 

Abohar, March 24
One person was killed while three persons sustained injuries as the car they were travelling in reportedly went out of control and hit the roadside tree on the outskirts of this town today.

As per the details, Naresh Kumar , Anil Kumar, Sunil Kumar and Pawan Kumar had gone to village Sayeedwala located on the Abohar-Sriganganagar road.

On return, their car went out of control and hit a tree on the roadside outside village Alamgarh. Naresh died on the spot while three others were rushed to the Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital. Sunil was referred to the Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, due to his critical condition.