Ludhiana, August 22
The murder of four members of a family, including two women and a child, under mysterious circumstances in Doraha has opened a can of worms with town residents alleging one of the women, Charanjit Kaur, was engaged in illicit relations with a Bagowal resident.

The bodies of the four were found yesterday in Charanjit’s home in Satnam Nagar in Doraha. Her two elder daughters, who reside in Bangalore, arrived today in Doraha to attend their mother’s cremation.

However, the absence of Charanjit’s elder son at the funeral raised many eyebrows. Town residents claimed he had left the family house four years ago following a quarrel with his mother after he objected to her “illicit relationship” with another man. They also alleged Charanjit had recently hired “goons” to kill him.

The police today hinted Charanjit was engaged in prostitution and began operating from her home after her husband’s death, adding her two elder daughters were also working for their mother.

Residents said there had been complaints of Charanjit’s daughters being blackmailed. People whom she had “exploited” were looking for an opportunity to settle old scores, they added.

According to sources, Charanjit’s elder daughters, perceiving a threat to their lives, left the city and were currently working with an “orchestra” in Bangalore.

It is learnt Charanjit’s husband committed suicide by consuming poison after he came to know about his wife’s “illicit relations” with a resident of Bagowal.

The police suspects Charanjit’s son could be behind the murder of his mother and siblings.

However, the police is still groping in the dark and failed to find any significant clue. SSP Khanna SS Mann maintained that the investigation was on and the accused would be held soon.

Ludhiana, August 22
The residents of Model Town Extension had a tough time today as their locality was out-of-bounds as the police had cordoned it off in view of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s visit.

Badal was in town to pay tributes to the wife of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) supremo Avtar Singh Makkar on her 10th death anniversary at Model Town Extension gurdwara here today.

Earlier, he visited the house of former speaker of Lok Sabha Charanjit Singh Atwal in the same locality. For more than three hours, the locality was turned into a fortress affecting the normal movement of people.

The police virtually took over the area in the morning itself and did not allow residents to drive to their houses. They were asked to park their vehicles at a distance and then walk to their residences.

A road in Model Town Extension blocked for the visit of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in Ludhiana on Sunday. Photo: Inderjit Verma

The residents of lanes near the gurdwara were the worst hit as the police did not allow any movement near these streets.

While traffic chaos was adding to the trouble, the residents said they had a tough time till afternoon. They had a sigh of relief when the CM left.

Sandeep Kumar, a resident, said: “I am sick of VIP movements. I was so inconvenienced,” he added.

Sandeep said the police made their life miserable. “Though they were doing their duty, why shouldthe common man suffer?” he asked.

Ludhiana, August 22
Taxing schedules, meagre salaries, rising crime rates, ‘VIP’ duty, no time for family and immense pressure from the top - too many demands but no appreciation. All this and more is taking a heavy toll on our men in khaki. No wonder most cops are totally stressed out!

So high are the stress levels among police personnel that a large number of them have been visiting psychologists and even psychiatrists of late.

“We work for long hours without any breaks but there is no recognition or reward. Obviously this leads to stress,” said a head constable.

Another cop added: “We toil hard almost round the clock. There are no fixed working hours nor do we have any holiday. But what is perhaps worse is that there is no appreciation of our work from any quarter despite tall claims by the police department and the government. This leads to frustration and related problems. A lot of my colleagues are showing signs of depression. Even I feel suffocated at times.”

“I’ve seen many of my colleagues increasingly feeling the need to see a psychiatric. At times I, too, think of seeking counselling,” remarked an assistant sub-inspector.

“We don't get our weekly offs. While people browbeat us by dropping names and threatening us, our seniors bully us in other ways. They harass us a lot under the guise of discipline,” says another policeman.

To top it all these cops do not get ample time for their families or for socialising. This makes things even worse.

“There’s so much mental and physical stress in the job and people often treat us like dirt,” another cop adds.

The worst affected of all are traffic personnel. “As it is things aren’t rosy in the city on the traffic front. To top it ‘VIPs’ visiting the city every now and then make things worse, especially for us,” rued a traffic constable.

Another traffic cop narrated his tale of woes. “I was filled with ambition and optimism when I decided to join the police two years ago. Little did I know I’d be complaining how my 'dream job' has completely drained me in just a couple of years,” adding “I come here at 8 am and leave only around 8 in the evening.”

For 12 long hours all the cop does is stand in the middle of a street intersection direct traffic from all sides. Is he stressed? “Yes,” comes the reply. “I don't feel like eating. I also feel very scared while standing in the middle of traffic on a daily basis. What if somebody hits me 
someday?”

Others like him in the city too complain of being a victim of dehydration and loss of appetite, high blood pressure, headaches, restlessness, insomnia, irritability. And thanks to their high stress levels, the police personnel of the city are vulnerable to most stress-related illnesses - from minor headaches to heart diseases. 

Dr Rajiv Gupta, a psychiatrist, says: “Every month I get to see at least 4-5 cops who come to get help for various psychological and psychiatric problems. The number has doubled over the past two years, especially among lower rung police officers. Over the years incidents of depression, physical and psychological problems, alcohol dependency, drug abuse and aggression among cops have become very common and are rapidly rising. What is worse is even their families - especially their spouses and children - have often been found to be suffering from the same symptoms as a result of the men's absence.”

Gupta blames the job at large for the rising stress levels. “Trying to be a super cop. Dealing with troubles of the public. Going nose to nose every day with scumbags. The constant gut-grinding frustration of trying to cope with a million different tasks, each of which seems to be screaming for immediate attention, is taking a toll on policemen's health,” he says.

“And that's not all. It's also the result of all those unhealthy habits they develop, including irregular eating habits, disturbed sleep patterns, lack of acknowledgment and support and the consequent attempts to wind down with too much booze after the shift is over is slowly killing them,” the psychiatrist sums up.

He says the situation has assumed such alarming proportions that the average cop is much more likely to die from stress than from bullets, car accidents or other unnatural causes.

Ludhiana, August 22
Though MC Commissioner AK Sinha had marked an inquiry into the construction of Rose Garden at Giaspura, in which “bungling of funds” was involved, no report has been submitted even after a month.

It was claimed that the inquiry report would be submitted within 10 days, but now it seems officials had “deliberately” adopted a slow pace and were waiting for the court’s order in the case during its next hearing on August 25.

According to sources in the MC officials are going a bit slow since Mayor Hakam Singh Giaspura himself was involved in the case.

“There are allegations that the construction of various projects was allotted to other contractors on paper but the actual work was to be undertaken by the Mayor’s son and nephew. A whopping amount of over Rs 1.5 crore was spent on the Rose Garden,” they stated.

Prior to the garden, a stadium was suggested to come up on the land. The total budget of the stadium was Rs 58 lakh and the contractor was given Rs 24 lakh for starting the project.

Somehow due to “non-viability”, it was decided to drop the project. In another plan in 2008, a meeting of the MC functionaries was held to turn the partially built stadium into a park.

The F and CC meeting passed a budget of Rs 24 lakh for the park and the contractor was paid Rs 8.41 lakh to begin the work. However, no work was carried out and this project was also cancelled. Finally, the F and CC cleared Rs 1.5 crore to build a rose garden on this land which lies in the Mayor’s ward.

Though MC officials claim that 60 per cent of the work of the Rose Garden had already been completed, residents have filed a case in court against the “bungling” of public money. As many as 100 residents of the area opposed the construction of the garden, saying that there were already two public parks in the area and there was no need for another one. They felt that the land should be used for the stadium instead.

Ludhiana, August 22
Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) will organise a fabric and accessories exhibition, Source One, from November 22 to 24.Nearly 125 exhibitors are expected to participate in the event. Officials say nearly 3,000 buyers are confirmed and this three-day exposition is expected to generate business worth two million dollars.

“Source One will bring together sellers and buyers from the industry and its allied sectors under one roof,” said AEPC’s chairman for northern region HKL Magu. “It will be the largest platform to showcase products and solutions to a resourceful audience in India and South Asia.”

The exhibitors from Bangladesh, China, Taiwan and South Korea will include manufacturers of fabrics, natural fibres like silk, cotton, linen, hemp and wool as well as man-made fibre like acetate, acrylic, nylon, polyester and rayon besides accessories for apparel and supplier of services related to textile and clothing industry.

Ludhiana, August 22
The Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI) organised a continued medical education (CME) programme for senior doctors in association with the physician forum here last evening. In the course of FEHI’s endeavour to keep the medical fraternity updated, two informative and interactive sessions on cardiology and cardiac surgery were held.

In the first session on “latest treatment in cardiac arrhythmias”, Dr TS Kler, executive director, cardiac sciences, at FEHI, discussed in detail the latest advancement in cardiac treatment.

Dr ZS Meharwal, director and coordinator in the department of cardiovascular surgery at FEHI, focused on “cardiac surgery today: update for physicians” in the second session.

He said while dealing with patients of cardiac ailments, the physicians ought to take decisions based on their experience and choose right institution which could take proper care when it came to advanced cardiac procedures like minimally invasive surgery, off-pump bypass and robotically assisted surgery.

LUDHIANA: One-day orientation programme for civil services examination was organised by Kamla Lohtia SD College in collaboration with Samkalp under the leadership of Santosh Taneja, former chief engineer, HUDCO, and eminent social worker Rajesh Mohan, faculty member of Samkalp.

Students were guided about the importance and requirements of civil services for India. Profile of Samkalp and details and preparation strategy for civil services examination were also discussed.

Making the students aware of the different civil services, Santosh Taneja and Rajesh Mohan guided them on how to prepare for exams.

About 200 students from different colleges attended the orientation programme.

Ludhiana, August 22
The Congress today accused the SAD-BJP government in Punjab of hollow claims on the development front without doing any worthwhile work to provide relief to the people.Addressing a party workers’ meeting here, Krishan Kumar Bawa, former president of the District Congress Committee, alleged that senior functionaries of the government, especially Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, had been taking the people of the state for a ride through their false and inflated claims.

“While the government has been patting itself on the back for major infrastructure development in Punjab, the fact remains that most projects still remain on paper, without even a brick having been laid,” he said.

Bawa further said the state government was misdirecting and misappropriating funds being provided by the Centre for various centrally funded welfare schemes.

“The Congress MP from Ludhiana, Manish Tewari, has levelled allegations in this regard and has sought details of expenditure made under Central schemes,” he added.

Pointing towards the growing discontent among all sections like farmers, traders, employees, members of the industry and industrial workers, the Congress leader maintained that the government had failed on all fronts and those raising their voice to seek justice were either being gagged or made to face police brutality.

Ludhiana, August 22
As many as 30 physically challenged persons were given free prosthetics, calipers and hearing aids at the 825th free “viklang sahayata camp” organised by Bharat Vikas Parishad (Swami Vivekanand branch) at Rishi Nagar here today.

Chief guest of the function Dr Gurpreet Singh Wander, director, Hero DMC Heart Institute, who presented the prosthetics and other aids to the physically challenged persons for their rehabilitation, lauded the service being done by the parishad with commitment and dedication to the cause of disabled persons.

Hari Om Jindal, president of the BVP, while welcoming the chief guest, explained in detail the work being done, along with future programmes for providing relief and rehabilitation to the physically challenged people.

Suraj Jyoti, secretary, Bharat Vikas Parishad Trust, and RP Gupta exhorted people for judicious use of water and natural resources. 

Ludhiana, August 22
The right to information has to be seen as a part of the fundamental right to free speech and expression, as enshrined in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. This was stated by Hemant Goswami during a public awareness programme on the Right to Information (RTI) Act, organised by the Ludhiana branch of the NIRC of ICAI.

“The Supreme Court and courts the world over have, time and again, held that free flow of information is a must to exercise the right to free speech. If information is withheld from the public, it will not have enough inputs to express itself and freely participate in the democratic process. The free flow of information is the backbone of any effective democracy,” he said.

The programme commenced with the welcome address by chairman of the branch, Hukminder Sahi, who chaired the programme. He welcomed the guest speaker and the audience. He emphasised that the Act is an important democratic tool provided to the common man by the great efforts of Dr Manmohan Singh.

This was the only Act under which a government official could be penalised in case of non-furnishing or delay in providing information. He appealed to the public to use the rights under this Act righteously and not disturb the system or settle personal scores.

Goswami discussed the procedure to file an RTI request and to follow it up if improper information was supplied. He mentioned that all public authorities were duty bound to publish all facts and information relating to the reasons for taking any administrative or quasi-judicial decision. He rued that all government departments were not following this provision of the law and it required stricter enforcement and supervision by the Information Commission.

Talking about the recently proposed whistle-blower protection legislation, Goswami emphasised that auditors, cost accountants and company secretaries were likely to be the first ones to know about any corrupt activities, detrimental to public interest, within an organisation. The proposed Public Interest Disclosure (Protection of Informers) Bill must have provisions to protect chartered accountants and other professionals from any possible backlash and an incentive-and-reward mechanism for those who expose corruption in public interest, he stated.

Lt-Gen PK Grover, Information Commissioner, Punjab State Information Commission, said he felt proud to see that chartered accountants were so much alert for social issues like the RTI Act. Expressing commitment to the effective implementation of the Act, he said the commission had been making every effort so that the purpose of the Act was achieved in the best interests of the society and the country.

Ludhiana, August 22
The novel ‘It is all about love’ can be termed an ingenious account of bittersweet experiences that make late teens a journey through confusion and exploration.Carrying the subtitle ‘Matters not whom you fall in love with’, it is the debut novel of 23-year-old Tanveer Singh, a law student here. Published by Srishti Publishers, New Delhi, the novel is getting rave reviews from readers.

Tanveer has unfolded the ambiguities of unanswered questions that grip teenaged minds till they experiment with every aspect. A touch of the autobiographical element is what makes the reading more interesting and personal.

Talking to the Ludhiana Tribune, Tanveer says, “It was during my stay in hospital while undergoing treatment for a neurological disorder that I decided to pen down my experiences with reference to the turmoil of the younger generation.”

Aspiring to be an eminent jurist, Tanveer wants to work for human rights. He adds, “I wish to explore issues which have been neglected so far and will try to unveil their positive aspects so that social equality and justice prevail.”

The amalgamation of a browsing spree at a cyber cafe, which leads Tarun (the main character in the novel) to an online bastion of same-sex individuals, who solicit sex at the drop of a hat and want varying degrees of friendship, with the inner conflict of a jilted lover adds to the psychosomatic angle in the story.

At the same time, the narrative carries a strong message of family ties, which surface with the protective instincts that the novel’s main protagonist depicts even during his stay in hospital.

A noted academician has referred to the book as a ‘battle of wits’, wherein the human mind emerges as the winner when it comes to the matters of the heart.

“Heart-broken boy under severe depression is adamant to conceal his illness from his parents so as to save them from the pain, which is an indicator towards the Indian backdrop of the novel,” says the academician.

Despite being serious reading, the story progresses at a good pace as the writer makes interesting references to Jeffrey Archer’s ‘First Among Equals’ and the Hindi song ‘Ma ka ladla bigad gaya’.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 22
Acting on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the police has booked two police personnel and a former cop under Sections 302, 201 and 34 of the IPC for allegedly killing a youth of Rangian village about five years ago and destroying evidence by disposing of the body.

Further action will be initiated on the basis of a report to be submitted by a three-member committee constituting gazetted officers.

Amarjit Singh Khaira, Assistant Commissioner Police (Vigilance), and former SHO Dehlon, Jaswant Singh, and Kabul Singh, havaldar, have been booked for allegedly killing Gurmit Singh and destroying evidence.

Naginder Singh of Rangian village had alleged that the then SHO Dehlon, Amarjit Singh Khaira, and his accomplices had killed his son Gurmit Singh, who was arrested by them in connection with a case registered against him under the NDPS Act in 2005.

The complainant alleged that they had “destroyed” the body of his son and showed him as absconding from police custody.

During legal proceedings, the police maintained that Gurmit Singh had run away from police custody and that he had been interacting with his family even after being declared proclaimed offender on August 25, 2005.

Finding substance in the plea of the complainant, the court directed the police to book the then SHO and his associates. However, further action would be initiated on the basis of the investigation report to be submitted by a three-member committee to be constituted immediately.

SP (Crime) Ludhiana Gurdial Singh and ACP Narinder Singh Ruby, besides a gazetted officer to be nominated by the SSP Ludhiana (Rural), will investigate the sequence of events leading to the disappearance and alleged murder of Gurmit Singh.

Confirming the registration of the case, Ruby said fresh investigations would be initiated as per the directions of the court. 

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 22
The Dehlon police has nabbed three members of an interstate gang that has allegedly been distributing fake currency brought from Nepal and Hyderabad among small dealers.Fake notes of the denomination of 1,000 and 500, worth Rs 1.96 lakh, and genuine notes worth Rs 60,000 were seized from the car used by the accused.

The counterfeit currency, possibly printed in Pakistan, is of such improved quality that it is difficult for a commoner to differentiate between the genuine and counterfeit notes.

Naresh Shah and Mohammad Razak of Khajuria district in Bihar and Jasbir Singh of Gehlan village in Barnala district were arrested when they were exchanging fake currency notes with genuine ones in a car at the Pohir bus stand, near here, today.

Narinder Singh Ruby, ACP Ludhiana, said the police had received information that some members of an interstate gang involved in the distribution of counterfeit currency would transact illegal business at the bus stand.

A naka was set up and the accused nabbed. The accused admitted to having supplied consignments in the areas of Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Sangrur, Ahmedgarh and Raikot. They would bring the counterfeit currency from Nepal and supply the same to petty dealers at 50 per cent cost.

The police suspects that the fake notes were printed in Pakistan. Workers of certain petrol stations, liquor vends, toll barriers and employees of banks were among the “clients” of the accused.