Nakodar, May 23
His fight against “mismanagement” in the police set-up has left him with no option but to sell watermelons in the streets. Kamaljit Singh resigned from his post of sub-inspector in the Punjab Police’s CID wing in protest against out-of-turn promotions.

At present, he presently sells watermelons to make a living on the Nakodar-Noormahal road.

Talking to The Tribune, he said he joined the police service in 1989 as an ASI and served at places like Delhi, Tarn Taran, Faridkot and Nakodar in the CID wing. Kamaljit alleged constable Vibhur Kumar and ASI Kuldip Singh, who worked under him during his first 14 years of service, were promoted in 2003-2004 during the tenure of former DGP Sarabjit Singh in violation of police rules.

But when former DGP AA Sidiqui took charge as the DGP, Punjab, he reverted them to their old designations and posts as these promotions were ordered out of turn. He said both out-of-turn promoted cops knocked the doors of the high court, which dismissed their appeal and afterwards Vibhor Kumar was suspended by the police as he did not join his reverted post of ASI.

Vibhor knocked the doors of the Supreme Court, where the case was still pending, said Kamaljit Singh. Surprisingly, the suspended cop was reinstated as ASI on May 27, 2009, after he approached the higher-ups in the department and some politicians belonging to the ruling party, alleged the cop-turned-watermelon seller. After six months, Vibhor was promoted as inspector in December, 2009.

Kamaljit Singh has two sons and a daughter who are studying in schools. He said he got mentally upset and resigned from the post on January 13, 2010. His resignation was accepted on February 1. Now he had started selling watermelons on a rehri in summers to earn his livelihood. He said his colleague Rajinder Singh had also resigned from the post in resentment and he had taken to farming.

Phagwara, May 23
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee has urged the President and the Prime Minister to intervene into the matter relating to a decision of the International Olympic Association, followed by the Indian Olympic Association, to ban Sikh boxers from entering the boxing ring supporting beard, a symbol of Sikhism. Stating this, SGPC general secretary Jathedar Sukhdev Singh Bhaur described the decision as painful for the Sikh community.

He said the SGPC would knock the doors of every authority concerned. Bhaur said the Union Government should resolve the tangle by taking up the issue with the International Olympic Association to safeguard religious sentiments of the Sikhs.

He said during the past, Sikh boxers had been participating in various championships with their beard partially covered with ear guards. He said when Muslim women players could be allowed to wear slacks, why Sikh boxers could not be allowed to enter the field with beard.

On the question of “Anand Marriage Act” for Sikhs, he said draft of the said Bill was being prepared by the Union Law Ministry and it could be tabled in Parliament during the next monsoon session.

Bhaur appealed to all MPs belonging to different political parties to support the Bill leaving their political differences behind as it was purely a religious matter so that Sikhs could solemnise and get their marriages registered in traditional way.

Batala, May 23
Sixteen children of Government High School, Rai Chuk, developed gastrointestinal complications after consuming wormicidal tablets distributed by the Health Department. All of them were taken to the Civil Hospital, Batala.

A medical team of the Primary Health Centre, Dhianpur, had reportedly come to the school. It gave albendazole tablets to de-worm the children. However, immediately after consuming tablets, children started falling ill. Headmaster of the school Pritpal Singh rushed them to the Civil Hospital.

A medical team from the Civil Hospital, Batala, has taken samples of the tablets and the food supply meant for the children and sent these to a laboratory for analysis.

Dr Mohinder Singh, Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Batala, said all admitted children had been discharged from the hospital.

He said he had forwarded the report to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Gurdaspur, for further action.

Jalandhar, May 23
A woman was crushed to death while her younger brother sustained serious injuries when a car rammed into the motorcycle they were riding, on the busy GT Road in Rasulpur village, near here, this afternoon.

Joginder Kaur, a resident of Chahoki village, near Phagwara, and her brother, Harjinder Kumar, a resident of Dhaleta village, near Goraya, were on their way back from Alawal village, near Bhogpur, when the incident happened.

Eyewitnesses said Joginder Kaur got dragged with the car for a long distance and she died on the spot.

Harinder Singh had a miraculous escape. He was rushed to a nearby private hospital.

The body has been sent to the local civil hospital for a post-mortem examination, according to ASI Karam Singh.

Interestingly, the Maqsudan police has initiated inquest proceedings on the complaint of the deceased’s husband Paramjit Singh though this appeared to be a clear-cut case of hit and run.

The duo was coming back from Alawal village after finalising bride for Harinder.