Ludhiana, May 8
An angry mob forced a passenger train to stop in protest against the alleged police inaction in an attack case thereby causing inconvenience to the passengers on board it.

The agitators squatted on the railway track near Sunet village and stopped the Ludhiana-Ferozepur passenger train for about 15 to 20 minutes and raised slogans against the police.

It was only after Sarabha Nagar police station SHO, Beant Juneja, reached the spot and pacified them that they lifted the dharna.

Led by Sushil Kumar, a resident of Balmiki Colony near BSNL Colony in BRS Nagar, the protestors alleged that the police was not registering a case on their complaint.

Sushil Kumar said at least 50 persons led by Raju had attacked his house. Raju resides in Ambedker Nagar. Sushil said the attackers ransacked his house and decamped with Rs 20,000 in cash yesterday.

Both parties went to the Sarabha Nagar police station yesterday but the police could not affect a compromise.

Sushil claimed that he returned from the police station yesterday thinking of pursuing the case today. But to his shock, the assailants again attacked his house today morning. When they went to the police station today, they were not attended. ‘‘The SHO was not there. We kept on waiting for him for hours but he did not arrive,’’ he added.

Agitated, they decided to lay a siege on the track and staged a dharna. They stayed their for a few minutes when a Ferozepur- bound train reached the spot after leaving the Ludhiana station. Seeing commotion, the driver applied brakes at a safe distance and stopped the train.

ACP Raj Kumar said a case of assault had been registered against Raju, Raj, Ravi, Surinder and their accomplices.

Ludhiana, May 8
The municipal corporation has been accused of “‘pick and choose” policy by shopkeepers and others residing near the Raikhy Cinema, who claim that the civic body had demolished their structures but spared several others, who were also sitting on the green belt. A petition on the alleged illegal encroachments on the Raikhy Cinema road was filed through COCP No. 545 of 2010 in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on April 29.

Talking to The Tribune, Vikas Raikhy, the petitioner, said there were at least 70 shops on the road and most of these were constructed “illegally” by encroaching upon the prime land. After partition, temporary wooden khokas of 6X8 feet and 8X8 feet were provided to most of the “refugees”(shopkeepers) from Pakistan.

In the petition, Raikhy had stated that small illegal Khokhas/Pharies started appearing along the boundary walls of the Northern Railway Colony and the Government Senior Secondary School, which slowly gave way to temporary wooden Khokhas. “Due to the laxity on the part of authorities, the squatters/encroachers slowly converted the wooden Khokhas into cemented structures. Over the years, the single storied structures have further developed into double/triple storied ones with scant regard for the law and inconvenience caused to the public at large”, added Raikhy.

Ludhiana, May 8
On the eve of Mother's Day the children and grandchildren of a 90-year-old woman who went missing under mysterious circumstances from an old age home in the city were frantically searching for her.

Though the nonagenarian, identified as Lajwanti, was reported missing from the Vivekanand Swarg Ashram Trust’s home for the elderly, located in Model Town Extension, about 15 days ago, her relatives came to know about the matter only today when they received a phone call from her fellow senior citizens at the home informing the family about her disappearance.

"My grandmother has been missing for the last 15 days and officials of the old age home have no clue of her whereabouts. What has hurt us the most is the fact that the officials did not even show the courtesy to inform us about her disappearance. It was only when we went to the old age home that the head of the trust casually told us my granny was missing," rued Vicky, Lajwanti’s grandson.

Lajwanti, who has four daughters and two sons, was staying at the old age home for past ten years. She was earlier living with her elder son, Daulat Ram, in Delhi. After the latter’s death she came to the city and was putting up with her younger son, Ram Parkash.

She was shifted to the old age home in 2000 after Ramesh, a vegetable vendor, expressed his inability to look after his mother.

According to Ram Parkash Bharti, president of the Vivekanand Swarg Ashram Trust, the woman was mentally disturbed and used to visit a nearby gurudwara and temples.

"Occasionally she even used to visit her sons’ house. It was only today that the occupants of the old age home told us about the woman’s disappearance. We took immediate action and informed the police about the matter," he stated.

Angry relatives of the woman began trooping into the old age home and entered into an argument with the officials there.

Asha Rani, Lajwanti’s daughter,said, “I’m worried about my mother. No one is telling me how and when she went missing," she lamented.

Some unanswered questions

Ludhiana, May 8
The police has succeeded in cracking a blind murder case of Durga Prasad, whose decomposed body was found from a room located in the Railway Colony on April 7, with the arrest of the three accused in this connection.

The accused have been identified as Bharat, Mohit and Vijaypal, all natives of Uttar Pradesh. They were arrested from different parts of the city. They are immediate neighbours of Durga Prasad, the victim.

According to police sources, the family of the victim was pressurising the police to arrest a priest of Hanuman temple for killing Durga Prasad.

The sources said the family was trying to frame the priest in a false case to settle their personal score.

Maninder Bedi, SHO Division No. 8 said: “We have conducted an inquiry and arrested the trio. We have also recovered the phone and the gas cylinder from the possession of the accused. But, we have yet to recover the weapon used in the crime.”

The police said the accused cracked soon and confessed of committing the crime. They told the police that they killed Durga Prasad by inflicting multiple stab wounds. The accused said that Durga used to flaunt his money and that proved to be his nemesis. The trio killed him with sharp-edged weapons on April 5 and left the body in a pool of blood. The accused was produced before the court. 

Ludhiana, May 8
Celebration of triumph found a new expression when the team from Tagore Nagar Deaf School, Ludhiana, clinched the trophy during the 2nd All-Punjab Boys’ Kho-Kho Championship amid silent cheering, joyful expressions and glorious smiles that lit up many faces.

Silence was writ large on the faces of players at the training centre of the Sports Authority of India where the tournament was played today. The six matches of the tournament, however, were no less exciting than the Cricket World Cup as the teams from various schools for the hearing impaired from all over Punjab competed.

The unique tournament was a rare event replete with pride and sense of achievement as six teams, comprising 14 players each, vied with each other to reach the top spot.

Hearty cheers in sign language, loud rounds of applause, breaking into a sudden jig by a supporter or two at odd intervals; the games had all the elements of a highly-exciting sporting event. For players, the game was made easier, keeping in view, their disability. The referee held different coloured cards, each depicting a turn of a particular event in the game. Like, a red card meant out, a yellow signaled foul and a beige card pointed to go for it.

Mullanpur Dakha, May 8
The local grain market witnessed a unique scene yesterday morning people parked their vehicles under the shed meant for storing crops. Whereas, the crops were left in open and got damaged as there wasn’t any space under the shed.

This shed, worth crores, was constructed by the Punjab Mandi Board a few years ago. Since then, tea vendors and tempo unions have occupied the space for parking their vehicles.

Even during the harvest season, when the shed is in much need by the farmers, they hardly vacate it. Even the instructions issued by the deputy commissioner and the SDM, to get the shed vacated, remained unheard.

Baldev Singh, a farmer, who had brought his wheat crop to the grain market, had to park his tractor-trolley in open while it was raining. He was seen cursing the grain market’s administrator for their plight. Jaswinder Singh, secretary, Mullanpur Dakha Market Committee, and Maghar Singh Braich, chairman, expressed their helplessness in this regard. They said they had on numerous occasions got the shed vacated but they reoccupy it the next day. If my employees try to get the place vacated, the tempo owners threaten them, he added. 

Ludhiana, May 8
Star-struck youths’ causal approach towards their work turned out to be major disappointment for a Star Plus team, which was in the city today in search of fresh faces for the channel’s upcoming serial.

The team from the Director’s Kut Productions, headed by creative director Ritesh Modi, who is credited with the direction of popular soap operas like “Bidaai” and “Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai” is on the look out for lead actors, male and female, for the production house’s next serial.

The team was in the city with a hope to find a suitable face and raw talent, as per the characters’ demand. However, none of the candidates who appeared for auditions today-impressed Modi enough to excite him to offer a role.

“Acting is basically a very serious and intense vocation and requires some degree of seriousness, which unfortunately, seems to be missing from the city’s youth,” remarked Ritesh Modi.

The director added that he had come all the way from Mumbai to look for talented “North” Indian faces, to suit the characters of his next serial, as “it is set in the backdrop of Himachal Pradesh”.

“Though I liked a couple of performances today but I fear I will have to return empty handed,” Ritesh said, commenting on the young crowd gathered to be a part of the auditions.

Meanwhile, a crowd of enthusiastic youngsters thronged Ethos Store, the venue of the auditions to try their luck.

Young boys and girls, aged between 18 and 28 years, could be seen pacing up and down in nervous anticipation as the team took a screen test inside. Scenes and dialogues were given to all contestants, majority of whom failed to impress with their dismal performances.

Most of the wannabes were either from a local dance academy, trying hard to grab a Bollywood break or had just walked in to try their luck. There were many who did not even know the finer points of acting, as was visible from their performances, replete with trembling hands and feet and quivering voices. 

Ludhiana, May 8
Dr Paramjit Singh Khurana, head of the department of neuropsychiatry and drug de-addiction centre at Guru Teg Bahadur Charitable Hospital, has fortified his campaign against drug addiction among adolescents.

He spends hours to counsel youths and has penned two books, which are being circulated to people the city as well as villages. “Nashe di aadat" and "Mansik rogan bare jaankari" penned by Dr Khurana in Punjabi are a must read for every patient coming to him for treatment.

The books emphasise upon causes, symptoms, types and repercussions of drug addiction, wherein Dr Khurana has established every fact in a simple manner. "I am giving these books to addicts and their parents so that they can look for the changes in their wards and relate to it by taking timely action in terms of their treatment," he said.

Unfortunate but true, out of 18 psychiatry patients undergoing treatment at the hospital, 10 are drug addicts. The doctor observes that boys and girls from influential families studying in top schools are addicted to heroin, smack, opium, codeine, cocaine, amphetamine, charas and cough syrups.

"It is shocking that the authorities are doing little to restrict the eating and coffee joints from promoting hookah culture in schoolboys and girls. This hookah smoking becomes the stepping stone towards drug addiction," said Dr Khurana. 

Jagraon, May 8
Villagers of Ramgarh Bhullar village near here today protested by staging a dharna against opening of liquor vend near the village school.

Village sarpanch Mohinder Pal Kaur had initiated the protest and did not allow contractor Darshan Singh Sowaddi to operate.

It was last evening when he again opened vend for business purpose, the sarpanch, along with the villagers reached the spot to protest. During the altercation, Darshan Singh misbehaved with them and also thrashed the sarpanch’s husband. The villagers overpowered him and handed him, along with the pistol to the Jagraon police. The police, however, let off the contractor. — OC

Ludhiana, May 8
“It is easy to be judgmental about the issues concerning women, but we have to take into consideration the legal aspects involved in the Domestic Violence Act in terms of economic, emotional, sexual and physical exploitation of women,” said Madhuri Kataria, director Social Security Women and Child Development, Punjab.

She was in the city to conduct a workshop for the child development and project officials (CDPO) at the Brail Bhawan.

Madhuri said the CDPOs had been designated as the protection officials, but they were not equipped to handle their job.

The CDPOs are not aware of the implications of the Act and the department is conducting these workshops to brief them about their powers, which they have to exercise in order to protect the rights of women under this Act, the director said.

The CDPOs in collaboration with the state legal authority, police department and NGOs have to ensure the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act and the existing gaps and loopholes need to be done away with, observed the director.

“It is must for the CDPOs to collaborate with the state legal authority so as to make use of the provision of free legal aid under the Act. The department has roped in the services of the Red Cross Society,” Madhuri went on to add.

The next step of these workshops will be the interactive sessions and mock sessions between the enforcement agencies and women at grassroots level so as to change the mindset of people that “everything is not permissible” when it comes to protection of the women rights.

Doraha, May 8
A mother and employed - the tag is catchy no doubt. However, in practice juggling both roles is tough is the common refrain shared by most mothers who hold a job.

“For some women devoting equal time to both home and one’s profession is as simple as anything. But if a working mother has to do real justice to her profession as well as family life at the same time, it is an uphill task to make the impossible happen” feels Navdeep, a city schoolteacher.

“She is supposed to function as a robot, right from daybreak till late in the night. Always running short of time, she is supposed to look into each and every chore to be performed before leaving the home for her workplace, where she has to report in time” she added.

“Never have I found any time to look into my personal likes and dislikes or even have my meals properly. I often have to skip breakfast and at other times leave my packed lunch behind in the hurry to reach my office in time”, says another working mother.

Says Dr Gursaran Sidhu: “The mental strain that employed mothers are forced to undergo sometimes becomes unbearable. However, at the same time they want to continue with their jobs to earn extra income and reduce the financial burden on the family. The kids at home need all the care and attention which no one else, but a mother can provide the best. At the same time, it becomes equally difficult for a qualified mother to be reduced to a mere homemaker and put an abrupt end to her professional growth”.

“Caught between social and economic pressures, the working woman of today is no longer at ease. With the competition getting tougher and kids becoming choosier, I have to be extra cautious in providing them with each and every comfort and that too mostly in the nick of time. On the other hand, just working and earning money no longer is enough. With employers becoming more and more demanding, you have to put in your best to keep your job,” opined another working mother.

A class 5 student, whose mother is a college teacher, feels, “I always wish my mother had been a housewife and had been there to welcome me at the door when I return tired from school. It’s so boring to open the lock all by myself and have the lunch alone. Moreover, I wish she had been free to attend my functions and even pick me up from school.”

Said a teacher: “I have to work to augment my family’s finances. It’s difficult to survive and at the same time afford every luxury for the kids with the single person’s earnings. Adjustments have to be made somehow when one knows that what can’t be cured must be endured. Moreover, it’s essential children too should learn how to manage on their own and become self reliant as they grow up.”

“I know I’m getting a handsome pay package at this time but certainly at the cost of my peace, rest and at the same time health. Many a time I feel my desire to become independent has ultimately led me to become a slave of my situation. But now there is no looking back for me”, said an executive manager with a private company.

“I used to work in a private firm before I got married and continued with my job after marriage too. But when my daughter was born I dropped the idea of continuing with my job any more, the reason being that I knew I’d always be in a dilemma as to how I would do equal justice to my home and my job,” said still another working mother.

However, Anupam, a working woman, feels otherwise. “Time management is what I have learnt while managing the home and the work at the same time. The housewives are half as efficient in their work as we, who are always striving to strike a balance between motherhood and professional growth. My work schedule always remain tight but still I feel I’m better placed than most other women,” she says.

Ludhiana, May 8
Mother's Day is here again. It is the time to honour and cherish the special bond of love between a child and a mother.

One should also take this as an opportunity to honour all the women who had loved and cared like a mother. This can be a grandmother, a mother-in-law, aunts, sisters, colleagues and teachers

To celebrate the day with fervour and make it very special for their mothers, city's young and old alike are geared up as are various stores across the city. Special parties, get-togethers, functions and family reunions are also being planned by all those who want to tell their moms how much they love and care for her.

Greetings, flowers, gift packs, holiday and beauty packages are being bought and sold across the length and breadth of the city with great enthusiasm.

"A mother does so much for her children. The least one can do is acknowledge her hard work and her selfless love. Mother's Day is the perfect occasion to treat my mom with special gifts and lots of love,” says 19-year-old Nandini, who has come from New Delhi to be with her mother on her special day.

Another youngster, Saksham, who has planned a small family get-together on the occasion, says, "Both my grandmothers (dadi and nani), my mother and my elder sister will be the special guests of the day. My grandfathers, my father, my brother-in-law and I will play hosts of the evening and make the women feel special."

The mother-child bond knows no boundaries. While six-year-old Rutva has made a beautiful greeting for his mom to make her feel special, 60-year-old retired teacher Ram Prakash plans to visit his 81-year-old mother in his native village. While the young son expressed his feelings for his mother with "I love my mom very much", the older one said, "One relationship which is always with us is the one we share with our mothers. They are our guiding force and are responsible for making us who we are. Mothers also shape our lives and our personalities and crediting them for the same is something one should do at every opportunity."

Ludhiana, May 8
Popular models gyrated on the ramp and exhibited the creations of students of Inter-National Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD) during a fashion show organised here late last evening.

In the round titled “Samjeevana Sutra”, the designers exhibited a colorful face of Buddhism in brilliant hues of orange, maroon, turquoise and green. Long neckpieces, danglers, wristbands, bangles, headgears and handbags adorned the collection.

In the second round, T-shirts adorned with intricate work of graffiti prints in varied motifs and hues were exhibited. Not to be missed were dividers, jackets, waistcoats, frilled and puff sleeved shirts.

The creations were showcased in as many as nine rounds. Various models, including Anousha Chouhan, Shipra Malik, Himani Thapa, Kajal Shrivastava, Vandana Sharma, Sakshi Bindra, Ritu Kapoor, Karishma, Shubra Yadav and Raveena showcased the creations.

Jagraon, May 8
The Jagraon police has booked seven persons, including three NRIs from Canada, in a case of cheating and dowry harassment.

Chand Singh of Gill village in Moga district had filed a complained alleging that he married off his daughter Gurmeet Kaur to Davinder Singh of Canada, originally hailing from Raiya town of Amritsar district, on October 8, 2006. He accused that Rs 20 lakh were to the in-laws of his daughter as dowry.

After marriage, Davinder Singh submitted documents to get immigration of Gurmeet Kaur to Canada, but the embassy refused the visa. Chand Singh said after the refusal of visa, the family of Gurmail Singh, in convenience of Davinder Singh, his brother Peter Singh the wife of Peter Singh, Surjit Singh, started demanding Rs 5 lakh more to file an appeal. The inquiry officer found the allegation true and submitted his report to the SSP, who recommended an FIR against all the seven accused under Sections 498-A, 420 and 506 of the IPC.

Jagraon, May 8
A woman reportedly abandoned her two small children, a boy and a girl, in Mullanpur Dakha yesterday evening after making them sit in an autorickshaw and giving them a slip of paper stating their destination address as well as the fare for the trip.

Later, the boy identified himself as Rahul, 7, and the girl as his sister Rimpi, 5.

Narrating the sequence of events, Rahul said he remembered living near a ‘mazaar’ (a religious shrine) in Basti Jodhewal in Ludhiana with his parents, who are migrant labourers. He said his mother along with a male relative told them to sit in an auto after handing over the fare and the slip of paper to him. “Thereafter she went away with the man”, he stated.

The boy’s account was corroborated by Sharanjit Singh, the autorickshaw driver, who said the slip of paper mentioned that the children were to be dropped at a house in Nek Bakriwala in Dakha village.

“The women folk in Nek Bakriwala recognized the children but tore the slip having their address and asked me to take them back to where I had picked them up. Caught in a dilemma, I took the kids to the Dakha police station. However, their misfortune did not end there. The cops, shirking from their duty, sent the children to some people who identified themselves as Surinder Kumar Sharma of Gopal Nagar Hebbowal Khurd and Charanjit Kumar of Kichlu Nagar, Ludhiana. They claimed they knew the children’s the family”, said Sharanjit.

In another outrageous incident, an elderly woman was abandoned by her three well-to-do sons. The woman, later identified as Rachhpal Kaur, 78, a resident of the Kothe Baggu locality here, approached the Jagraon police accusing her sons, who own a palatial house in the town, of turning her out from their home.

Talking to the Ludhiana Tribune, she said after her husband’s death she had transferred all of the property family in her sons’ names. “Now they are not willing to provide me even food and shelter and other basic needs”, she lamented.

It is an irony that when the septuagenarian arrived at the police station, the cops there refused to listen to her and told her file a complaint at the police post at the local bus stand, saying her house fell in the jurisdiction of that police post. Incidentally she had no means of going there, as the police post is about 3 km from the police station. Nevertheless, she somehow reached the post.

However, the in charge of the police post, Davinder Singh, asked her to return home after assuring her he would talk to her sons about the matter.