Hoshiarpur, June 7
With the arrest of an engineer, Anil Gopal, resident of Ward No 7, Mukerian, the district police today claimed to have solved the murder case of his wife Sandeep Kaur, who was found poisoned to death on the night of May 30.

The SSP, Rakesh Aggarwal, in a press conference here today said on the night of May 30 Sandeep Kaur was found murdered and her husband Anil was lying unconscious in their car in which they were returning from Chandigarh near Pulpukhta, 38 km from here.

After regaining consciousness, Anil Gopal told the police that while returning from Chandigarh in their car, an unidentified couple hitched a lift near the local Phagwara-Chandigarh bypass road. On the way the hitchhikers offered them soft drink Frooty. They became unconscious after having Frooty and after looting them the hitchhikers escaped by leaving them in the car at Pulpukhta.

Following his statement, an FIR under sections 302, 307, 328, 324 and 34 of the IPC had been registered at Tanda police station.

During investigation, Anil Gopal emerged as the main suspect. He got married to Sandeep Kaur in 2006. He was an engineer in the Merchant Navy and his wife used to accompany him whenever he went to ship for duty. His wife was also a qualified engineer. A year after marriage they developed strained relations with each other. Sandeep never liked Anil going to his parents due to which the latter got mentally upset. He concocted the story only to mislead the police.

During interrogation Anil Gopal revealed that while returning from Chandigarh he allegedly gave some juice spiked with sleeping pills to Sandeep Kaur near Kurali and after having the juice she became unconscious. Later, he drove the car towards Tanda and when he reached near Pulpukhta he stopped the car and allegedly suffocated his unconscious wife by tightened her mouth with both his hands. Later, to save his skin he inflicted some injuries on his body and concocted the story, said Rakesh Aggarwal, adding that the police also seized Rs 20,500 and other goods from him.

Jalandhar, June 7
The FM Rainbow Channel of All India Radio (AIR), here has bagged four awards for its programme ‘Good Morning, Punjab’ at the 11th International Radio Festival held in Iran. These four awards are the highest won by any programme at the prestigious event.

Navdeep Singh, programme producer, was adjudged the best among this category and was awarded two gold trophies, one for the production and the second for research and content creation.

Birinder Singh and Gurpreet Kaur were declared the best anchors and were also one gold plaque each. Naveen Sharma was appreciated for assisting in research and content creation.

A total of $ 4,500 has also been collectively given as cash awards to the winners.

As many as 32 countries, represented by more than 100 radio organisations, from across the world participated in the festival.

The chief guest of the function was the President of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) Seyyed Ezatollah Zarghami.

‘Good Morning Punjab’ belongs to the genre of infotainment and effectuates All India Radio’s primary responsibility to educate, inform and entertain. Presented in the speech-music format in 
Punjabi, it strikes a genuine balance between spoken words and musical renderings.

The main focus was to sensitise society against female foeticide and highlight the plight of the girl child. The programme included a very forceful interview with an internationally acclaimed and very committed personality Dr. Harshinder Kaur. The solutions suggested by her gathered wide appreciation from the jury of 
the festival.

Besides the issues of the female foeticide and the need to create conducive environment for the girl child the other issues that figure in the programme include our responsibility towards our environment, campaign against drugs, education for all, saving the tiger, tackling the power problem in the state, therapeutic effects of music and health.

Jalandhar, June 7
The online admission for two-year (semester system) master in journalism and mass communication (MJMC) course of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, began today. This was disclosed by Dr Kamlesh Singh Duggal, Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, GND University, Regional Campus, Ladhewali.

The initiative had been introduced for the first time in any university of the region by Dr A.S. Brar, Vice-Chancellor of the university.

Lauding this move, Dr Duggal said students sitting anywhere in the country could now apply online for the course. “There would no entrance test for MJMC two-year degree course. The university has earmarked 30 seats for the course and candidates with 50 per cent marks in graduation or post-graduation in any stream are eligible to apply,” he added. He said the candidates could apply at the university site, www.gndu.ac.in. “The last date for receiving applications is June 28,” he maintained. — TNS

Hoshiarpur, June 7
Gurpreet Singh (30) of Dharam Kot, Moga, was killed, while his nephew Harpreet Singh (20) of the same town was wounded when the Tempo Traveller in which they were returning from Dera Gur Bad Bagh Singh and Chintpurni after paying obeisance there rolled down in a gorge near Manguwal on the Hoshiarpur-Dharmasala road at 5.30 am today.

Harpreet was admitted to the local Civil Hospital.

According to police sources, Gurpreet Singh and Harpreet Singh along with nine others were returning to their houses after paying obeisance at Dera Gur Bad Bagh Singh and Chintpurni. On the way near Manguwal, the driver of Temp Traveller failed to negotiate a curve due to which the vehicle rolled down in the gorge. — OC

Phagwara, June 7
The Youth Development Board, Punjab, has recommended total free travelling for students in all government and private buses in the state, said board Vice-Chairman Tarun Chugh while talking to newsmen here today.

He disclosed that the recommendations were made in a board meeting held recently. Chugh said the recommendations would soon be submitted before two-member committee comprising Deputy Chief MinisterSukhbir Badal and Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia.

Chugh said the board would soon expand its work in rural localities of the state. He said focus in rural areas was the dire need of the hour.

Hoshiarpur, June 7
Providing relief to a firm, Hoshiarpur Oil Store, Shergarh village, the District Consumer Forum, headed by P.D Goel, has ordered the local branch of HDFC Bank, Sutehri road, to refund Rs 91,450 to the firm with interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum from the date of filing of a complaint till realisation along with litigation expenses of Rs 1,000 within one month.

The owner of Hoshiarpur Oil Store had filed a complaint against the bank branch on the ground that the bank had charged Rs 91,450 as cash deposit and renewal charges from him without any notice and consent. The authorities of the bank raised the objection that the firm had availed itself of cash credit limit of Rs 40 lakh and the firm was engaged in commercial transactions.

The consumer forum held that the partners of the firm were running the firm in order to earn their livelihood by way of self-employment. The bank raised the plea that before shifting the account from ECBOP software to HDFC software, a letter informing detail of charges along with schedule of charges in CC/OD accounts was issued to all consumers of ECBOP by the head office of the bank, but no such letter was placed on record. Consequently, it was held that the HDFC Bank had withheld the material evidence, therefore, the adverse inference was drawn to the effect that the letter informing detail of charges along with schedule of charges in CC/OD accounts was not issued to the customers, including complainant, of ECBOP by the head office of the bank.

The bank had also raised the plea that the rules and regulations of the bank were circulated to each customer, but no such letter with regard to the intimation sent to the complainant regarding rules and regulations of the bank had been placed on record, therefore, the only possible conclusion was that the rules and regulations were not circulated to the complainant. It was held that the bank was not legally competent to claim cash deposit and renewal charges.