The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Diarrhoea claims teenager’s life 86 villagers fall ill after consuming contaminated water from government supply pipelines Bipin Bhardwaj/Ashok Kaura Jalandhar/Phillaur, July 15 A teenaged girl died and 86 persons, a majority of them children, were taken ill after consuming contaminated water at Shamshabad village, 5 km from Noormahal, near here. The district health authorities, however, claimed it an outbreak of diarrhoea and ruled out the possibility of food poisoning. While some villagers claimed that people started complaining of loose motions and vomiting after consuming contaminated water from the pipelines of the Public Health Department, the others said this all started following a community kitchen organised by certain residents on Tuesday. The health authorities, however, claimed that leaking water pipes drawn along open drains were the main cause of the outbreak of the disease. Moreover, the residents were using submersible pumps that sucked contaminated water from the open filthy drains, thus bringing misery to the area. The worst affected are the children and pregnant women who are undergoing treatment at various hospitals. Babbu (12), daughter of Lehmabar Singh, who had been complaining of diarrhoea since Wednesday morning, died in the wee hours on Thursday, claimed Dr T.P. Singh, district epidemiologist. The family, instead of admitting her in the government hospital, preferred to take medicine from a local chemist. Patients suffering from diarrhoea started pouring in the Noormahal Civil Hospital and the number increased up to 90 till late this evening. The patients had to share beds as the hospital was not equipped to accommodate such a heavy rush. After preliminary medicare, patients were referred to the Civil Hospitals in Jalandhar, Phillaur and Nakodar. The diarrhoea patients were pouring in the hospitals till the filing of the report. Teams of district health officials, led by Dr T.P. Singh, were deputed in the area. ADC G.S. Khaira, along with area Subdivisional Magistrate (SDM), rushed to the spot and held a meeting with the local health officials. Phillaur SDM Pritam Singh, who rushed to the village early morning, told The Tribune here that 14 patients were discharged in the afternoon. The SDM announced free medical treatment of the patients in the Noormahal Civil Hospital. He said a thorough enquiry would be conducted to find out the causes. The health officials have collected water samples from the locality and directed the villagers not to use water from Public Health Department pipelines. A health camp was also organised. “As precautionary measures, 8,000 chlorine tablets have been distributed in the affected area. Water tankers have been provided to meet water requirement of the affected residents. The overall situation is under control,” claimed Dr T.P. Singh. When The Tribune team visited the village and Noormahal hospital, several villagers were seen helping the victim families in bringing them to the hospital, while some social activists were seen helping the patients in the hospital.
	‘Mistreating’ cop enrages IMA protesters Tribune Reporters Nawanshahr, July 15 Members of the district unit of the Indian Medical Association had to face an unsavoury situation when they were allegedly treated as rowdy agitators and stopped from entering the office of the Deputy Commissioner to submit their memorandum in protest against the Clinical Establishment Bill by the police here today. The district unit of the IMA, on a call given by the Indian Medical Association, Punjab, had observed a bandh and staged a protest dharna in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner. Consequently, the protest against the Clinical Establishment Bill virtually turned into a protest against the alleged bad treatment meted out to the medical fraternity by SHO Surinderpal Singh. The row continued for about an hour and was settled only when the IMA was permitted to enter the office of the DC to submit its memorandum and the “errant” SHO apologised to the IMA in the presence of senior administrative officials. “The protest dharna and rally to raise the voice against the bill was observed in a democratic manner and was quite peaceful but when the members of the IMA concluded their rally and started moving towards the office of the DC for submitting their memorandum, the SHO started creating obstructions and misbehaving with them to prevent them from entering the office of the DC as if they were miscreants,” said Dr Paramjit Mann, district IMA president. The IMA only relented when the errant police official felt sorry for his conduct. Hoshiarpur: Resentment prevails among the members of the IMA, Hoshiarpur branch, against the proposed Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Bill, 2010. Local IMA president Dr Naresh Sud condemned the proposed bill. He said the bill was unwarranted. It would sound a deathknell for the small and medium private hospitals and would increase the cost of treatment manifold. Past president of the IMA Dr Kuldip Singh said the government was trying to regulate a body which was already regulated by the state medical council, the Medical Council of India and 41 other acts. A deputation of the IMA met the Deputy Commissioner and submitted a memorandum against the bill. Tarn Taran: Doctors closed their nursing homes and the private hospitals and organised a protest rally against the proposed Clinical Establishment Bill. IMA president Kashmir Singh Sohal described the proposal as anti-doctors and anti-public.
	Alcoholic man throws acid on wife, children, nabbed Our Correspondent, Batala, July 15 A man threw acid on his wife and three children here yesterday. All the four were admitted in the hospital with serious injuries. Talking to mediapersons here today, SSP D.P. Singh said that Gurmeet Singh, resident of Kot Tandol village, was an alcoholic and used to beat up his wife Surjit Kaur. His addiction ended in the sale of agricultural land and thereafter he started forcing his wife to please his friends for money, at which Surjit Kaur, along with her two daughters and one son, went to her paternal house in Hoshiarpur. She used to do a petty job to make ends meet. On Wednesday, Surjit, along with her children, visited the family of her relative in Purana Pind. Gurmeet Singh lodged a complaint with the police post at Vadala Granthian village against Bapu Sain, relative of Surjit Kaur. Surjit Kaur and her children went to the police post to clear things up against the false application moved by Gurmeet singh. On the way back home, Gurmeet threw acid on his wife, daughters Kiran Preet Kaur and Manpreet Kaur and son Captain Singh, who suffered 30 to 50 per cent burns and were admitted in the Batala Civil Hospital. The police has arrested Gurmeet Singh in a case under section 307 of the IPC.
	Bank Fraud Manager among 11 booked Amritsar, July 15 The Sultanwind police booked the manager of Central Cooperative Bank Limited, East Mohan Nagar branch, along with other bank employees for allegedly creating fake accounts by forging documents in the name of boys and girls who were interested in going abroad for greener pastures. The police registered a case under sections 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, 474, and 120-B of the IPC against nine aspirants, besides the agency involved in sending them in different foreign countries on study basis and permanent resident through the British High Commission, Delhi, and immigration. Besides staff and manager of the bank and agency VIEC, Ranjit Avenue, those booked included Maninder Singh, Rajbir Kaur, Mandeep Singh, Raj Kumar, Gurjinder Kaur, Baljinder Singh, Satinderpal Singh, Jagwinder Singh Brar and Sandeep Kaur Randhawa.— TNS
	Luxury car snatchers’ gang busted, 4 members held Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, July 15 With the arrest of four members of an inter-state gang, the district police today claimed to have busted a luxury car snatchers’ gang. SSP Rakesh Aggarwal said at a press conference here that after a brief encounter the police arrested Amritpal Singh, alias Goldi, son of Major Singh of Sarawan under Kotkapura police station(Faridkot), Daljit Singh, son of Mukand Singh of Khukhrana (Moga), Harjinder Singh, alias Mintu, son of Jaspal Singh of local Banjar Bagh, and Hans Raj, son of Lachman Dass of Satial under Sadar police station, Hoshairpur, at the Baneshah T-point bypass, near Purhiarn, last night. Two of their accomplices, identified as Nand Lal, alias Billa Gujar, son of Dharam Chand of local Ravidass Nagar, and Nasib Singh, son of Sehi Ram of Mitathal, Bhiwani district (Haryana), after firing on the police, managed to flee under the cover of darkness. To nab anti-social elements, the police had put up a naka at the Baneshah T-point. On seeing an Innova car coming from Phagwara side, the police signalled it to stop. Instead of stopping car occupants opened firing on the police. When the police returned the fire, the driver lost control over the steering and drove it into the nearby fields. The naka party succeeded in overpowering the four accused. The police recovered one .38-bore revolver with two live cartridges, one .32-bore revolver with three live cartridges and two empty shells, one .315-bore pistol with two live cartridges and one empty shell and one .303 pistol with three live cartridges from them. The Innova car used by the accused had also been impounded . An FIR under sections 307, 148 and 149 of the IPC and 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act had been registered against all the accused in Model Town police station. The SSP said six other members of this gang had been identified and efforts were on to arrest them. Amritpal Singh’s father Major Singh was the kingpin of this gang. Their modus operandi was to hire luxury cars from taxi stands from various towns to the PGI, Chandigarh, and after reaching there, they gave tea or coffee laced with some intoxicated pills or powder to the driver of the vehicle and while returning when the driver became unconscious, they threw him out of the car and fled with the vehicle. Major Singh and his brother had already been arrested by the Bathinda and Jagraon police, respectively, and a number of snatched cars recovered from them. The police also arrested one Lucky of Ludhiana who purchased the snatched cars from them. The accused confessed that they snatched nine luxury cars. Drivers Karnail Singh and Kala Singh, whose vehicles were hired by the accused from Sunam and Giddarwaha, respectively, died after consuming the tea or coffee laced with some intoxicants.
	2 killed, two hurt in road mishap Our Correspondent Batala, July 15 Two persons were killed and as many injured when two motorcycles collided head on. According to the police, the accident took place near Kotli Surat Malli village on Tuesday night when a motorcycle driven by Kewal Singh of Chainiwal village collided with another bike driven by Alinderpal Singh. While Kewal Singh died on the spot, Alinderpal succumbed to his injuries before he could be taken to the hospital. Jaspinder Singh and Jagroop Singh, accompanying the deceased, were hurt and admitted to the Civil Hospital.Kewal Singh was in the Army. Stolen truck recovered The Batala police recovered a stolen truck from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. Truck owner Ramesh Kumar Sekhri of Sharda Foundry in Batala had lodged a complaint with the police. The police during investigation found the person who stole the truck had gone to Bareilly upon which the police sent a team to Bareilly and recovered the truck. The Civil Lines police station has registered a case under sections 379 and 411 of the IPC.
	Youth, father booked for rape Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, July 15 On the pretext of providing her employment, a young girl of Sudarian village was repeatedly raped by a youth of the same village. The Hajipur police on Tuesday night arrested Ram Lal and his father Darshan Lal under sections 376, 366, 506 and 120-B of the IPC. According to the police, the girl was lured by Ram Lal and his father Darshan Lal on the pretext of getting her employment. On June 30, they took the girl to Una district in Himachal Pradesh where Ram Lal repeatedly raped her. Becoming suspicious about the activities of the man and his son, the Una police arrested the duo and freed the girl from their clutches. Later the police handed them over to the Hajipur police. Sikhs take out protest march Activists of various Sikh organisations, led by SAD (Amritsar) district president Gurnam Singh Singriwala, Dal Khalsa district president Novaljeet Singh and All-India Sikh Students Federation (Peer Mohmad) district president Kirpal Singh Ahluwalia, took out a protest march from Gurdwara Singh Sabha to the Clock Tower Chowk here yesterday. They also burnt the effigy of the Director, Education Department, Punjab, Krishan Kumar, to lodge their protest against the publication of some objectionable material about the Sikh history in the book titled “Gian Sarovar”, published by the Sarv Sikhiya Abhiyan, Punjab. They raised slogans against the Punjab Government, the Education Minister and the Director, Education Department. They demanded removal of the objectionable material from the book.