Bathinda, September 13
To protest the lathicharge on their colleagues in Kartarpur on Sunday, activists of the ETT Teachers Union stayed away from schools and burnt the effigy of Punjab minister for rural development and panchayats, Ranjit Singh Brahampura, outside the Zila Parishad, here today.

The agitators claimed that as many as 5,752 schools, under the Zila Parishads across Punjab, remained closed today. In Bathinda, they informed that there were about 120 schools, which remained closed as the 406 ETT teachers there were on strike.

Due to the ETT teachers' strike, more than 15,000 students in Bathinda schools were at the receiving end.

There were reports that the administration had asked all Sikhya Karmis to open the school but the attempt was foiled by the agitating ETT teachers, who managed to convince the school staff to support them and get marked as absent.

Meanwhile, declaring the state-wide strike of the ETT teachers as illegal and irrational, the state government today decided to treat all protesters as absent.

Flaying the teachers for forcing the government to transfer their services from the jurisdiction of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) to the state education department, an official spokesperson accused the teachers of making mockery of the existing system established under the 73rd amendment of the Indian Constitution to empower the PRIs to achieve the goal of universal elementary education by exercising effective control at the grassroot level to ensure accountability and efficiency.

On the other hand, district president of the ETT Teachers' Union, Jagmel Singh said, "We know that by issuing such statements, the government wants to create a split between us.”

“It is for sure that till the government does not release our 350 colleagues, who were sent to jail after in Amritsar and Gurdaspur on Sunday, we will continue our strike,” he added.

The union president said if the state government did not accept the genuine demand of transferring their services to the education department, they would be forced to intensify their stir. He alleged that the government does not extend to them the benefits being given to the staff of the education department.

Fazilka: Teaching was affected in 40 schools of Fazilka block I and II belonging to Zila Parishad today as the ETT teachers boycotted the schools. None of the 121 teachers working in these schools attended the classes, claimed Sanjeev Narang, president, Malwa Zone of ETT Teachers Union, while talking to The Tribune today.

“ETT teachers would gherao Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal when he comes to attend Sangat Darshan programme in Guruharsahai constituency on Tuesday,” asserted Narang.

He said until the arrested 300 teachers were released by the police, the teachers would abstain from the schools. They will not allow Badal and panchayat minister Ranjit Singh Brahampura to participate in any programme and would gherao them at every function, he said.

Abohar: ETT teachers today paralysed work in 31 government schools, mostly in the rural areas. The protesting teachers led by Amrish Raheja staged a dharna at the office of the Block Literacy Committee in the complex of the Block Development and Panchayat office located on the Abohar-Hindumalkot road here. Later, they marched to the main road crossing where an effigy of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was set on fire. They warned that an indefinite strike may be the next course of action to press the government to accept their demands.

(With inputs from Praful C. Nagpal and Raj Sadosh)

Mohar (Moga), September 13
The Jathedar of Akal Takht, highest Sikh temporal authority, Giani Gurbachan Singh has appealed to the Sikh youth to root out the social evils of female foeticide, drug addiction and corruption from society.

He was addressing a gathering of the students and activists of the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) on its 66th founders’ day at village Mohar in Moga district on Monday.

He also asked the youth to adopt a positive approach towards life by eradicating the social evils to build a healthy society, which was essential at a time when the moral values and traditional customs were fast eroding.

The Jathedar, while making an appeal to the union government to arrest and punish all those responsible for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, appreciated the efforts of the AISSF and Sikhs for Justice, a human rights advocacy group for taking up the cause of the riot victims.

The president of the AISSF Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad announced to launch 'Sikh Insaf Lehar' to mobilise the community to fight for their rights, which according to him were being exploited socially, politically, reli giously and economically, since independence in the country.

The AISSF also unanimously passed a resolution duly recognised by the Akal Takht demanding to transfer Chandigarh and Punjabi speaking areas of Haryana to Punjab; return all items of Sikh reference library confiscated by the Army during the 1984 attack on Golden Temple; amend Article 25 of the Constitution to recognize Sikhism as separate religion; convict those responsible for Genocide of Sikhs in June 1984, November 1984 and the following two and half decades; Punjab Assembly should pass resolution recognizing massacre of Sikhs as 'genocide' and issue an official notification of the same; grant of Rs 15,00,000 to each in the cases of death, Rs 5,00,000 to injured and Rs 7,50,000 to each family for rehabilitation of the 1984 riots and create unemployment allowance for all qualified unemployed Sikh youths.

The former Jathedar of Akal Takht Bhai Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar of the Damdami Taksal Baba Harnam Singh, Chairman of the Punjab Energy Development Corporation Bhai Manjit Singh, Convener of the Khalsa Action Committee Bhai Mohkam Singh, AISSF activists Davinder Singh Sodhi, Sarabhjit Singh Sohal, Sarabhjit Singh Jammu and others also addressed the gathering.

It may be mentioned that AISSF was established in 1944 to promote the principles of Sikhism among the youths.

Bathinda, September 13
Fifty-five-year-old Basant Kaur, a resident of Kararwala village, who was admitted to the Adesh Medical College and Hospital (near Bhucho) on Saturday as a suspected case of swine flu, has tested negative.

The test was carried out at the PGI, Chandigarh.

Talking to TNS on Monday, the district health officer (DHO) Dr RS Randhawa said after the admission of the woman to the hospital, the doctors at the Adesh Medical College and Hospital suspected her to be a case of swine flu.

So the hospital got a test kit from the health authorities here and collected a throat swab sample of the patient. It was then sent to the PGI, Chandigarh, for test, he added.

Dr Randhawa said he had received the report of the test from the PGI, Chandigarh today and the patient had tested negative for swine flu.

The DHO said the condition of the woman was now improving. As the Adesh Hospital's doctors had earlier suspected swine flu, so they put the woman on ventilator. In the light of the negative report, it was clear that the woman might be suffering from any other disease, like pneumonia, but not from swine flu, he added.

Dr Randhawa said that earlier, a suspected case of swine flu had also been brought to notice about two weeks ago.

But during the throat swab test, the patient had tested negative, he added.

He said no positive case of swine flu had been reported from any part of the Bathinda district so far.

Bathinda, September 13
Following rumours of the burning of a holy book in the US, a large number of Muslims under the banner of Muslim Human Welfare Society, Bathinda, and led by its president Sukhdev Khan, today took out a protest march through the main bazaars of the city, carrying banners against the US and the Pastor Terry Jones of Florida.

They started the protest march from the Jama Masjid in Kikar bazaar area. Maulvi Mohammad Ramzan Naymi, Kazi-e-Shehar, Jama Masjid, Bathinda, also accompanied the protesters. Members of Pachhrra Samaj Bhalai Sangthan, Bathinda, also supported the protesters by participating in the march.

Though the protesters said that they would maintain peace through out the march route, despite this the police accompanied them to check any untoward incident.

The protesters culminated their march outside the Mini-Secretariat where the Bathinda Tehsildar, Avtar Singh, on behalf of the Deputy Commissioner, received memorandum from them.

A Muslim leader from Talwandi Sabo Balbir Khan urged the centre to initiate talks with the US for the protection of Muslims and their religion. Balwant Singh, senior vice-president of the Pachhrra Samaj Bhalai Sangthan, Bathinda, demanded the safety of the minorities in the country and abroad.

Abohar, September 13
The information provided by the chief agriculture officer under the RTI Act to a farmer Bhupinder Singh of village Kikkarkhera indicated that the shopkeeper of Amarpura village, who had sold the Bt cotton seed to him under the proper billing on May 4, this year, was not licensed to sell the product.

Besides, the actual location of the firm mentioned in the bill and batch number too differ. The farmer today met Sukhdev Singh Brar, agriculture development officer (APPO) here and demanded legal action against the dealer.

He also produced before the APPO, a letter that had been sent to the SHO of the Bahavwala police station by the seed inspector on June 13, this year urging the latter to initiate legal proceedings against the dealer under the Seed Rules 1968 and Seed Control Order 1983 for the violation. However, no action had so far been taken by the police, Bhupinder Singh resented. The seed inspector had also observed in the complaint that the MRP on the seed packet had been tampered with.

Meanwhile, 30 farmers from village Dutaranwali, led by sarpanch Anil Kumar, today formally lodged their complaints with the agriculture development officer, Sukhdev Singh Brar. They alleged that they had been cheated by a Bt cotton seed supplier. The farmers said they had invested Rs 10,000 each per acre on growing the Bt cotton seed but the plants are flowering sans fruits, as of today. The total area was estimated at about 450 acre and the loss is in millions, they claimed.

The APPO told the media that survey would be conducted to ascertain the exact position. The seed manufacturer, if found guilty, would not be allowed to enter the market next year, he said.

Fazilka, September 13
Hundreds of members of the Punjab Palledar Union led by its president Bakhtawar Singh took out a protest demonstration in the city bazaars here today to press for abrogation of contract system in the functioning of labourers.

The agitating workers staged a protest at the Mini-secretariat and held a rally there which was attended by the senior vice-president Kakka Singh and finance secretary Mukhtiar Singh of the Punjab state unit of Palledar Union.

While addressing the rally, the union representatives including Shakti Singh, Balwinder Singh, Balbir Singh Beera and Bohar Singh alleged that the workers are being exploited through the contract system.

They demanded that the workers should be employed permanently on the FCI labour pattern. They alleged that the wheat has been rotting in the godowns in absence of effective public distribution system while on the other hand the poor people have been dying of hunger.

They rued that the Central government’s anti-people policies are responsible for inflation in the country.

Abohar, September 13
It may sound surprising that a minor boy Birma, who had been orphaned by one of the worst famines in Bikaner during the 18 century and could not even get regular education, later emerged as Swami Keshwanand (former member of Rajya Sabha).

He was instrumental in opening as many as 286 schools in the rural areas of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Swami Keshwanand’s 38th death anniversary was observed here on Monday at Sahitya Sadan that was also founded by the octogenarian saint.

Some astonishing chapters of his life were shared with the gathering by veteran Gandhian social activist BL Nagpal and Dr Sandeep Watts, in-charge of the Swami Keshwanand Ayurvedic hospital.

Swami Keshwanand had not only been a torch-bearer for the expansion of education but also for the freedom movement, they said quoting excerpts from a number of books.

Hundreds of citizens including eminent persons paid floral tributes to Swami Keshwanand.

Abohar, September 13
The PU Zonal Youth and Heritage Festival of Muktsar zone colleges, was inaugurated by Sher Singh Ghubaya, Member of Lok Sabha by lighting the lamp at DAV College here on Monday.

He was escorted by the NCC cadets to the venue.

Principal Dr BB Sharma, vice-principal Anil Makkar and organising secretary Prof BS Bhullar accorded him a warm welcome.

While lauding the achievements of the college during the past 50 years, Ghubaya exhorted the youth to get involved in co-curricular activities including sports since this was the best mode of personality development.

On the occasion, he cautioned the youths against drug traffickers, who were adamant over weakening the country. He also exhorted them to be responsible citizens for the welfare of society.

Balluana MLA Gurtej Singh Ghuriana was also present at the function. More than a dozen colleges are participating in the four-day festival.

Abohar, September 13
Two persons, one in village Kundal near Abohar and another in Rawla in neighbouring area of Sriganganagar, were allegedly beaten to death for different reasons during the past 24 hours, sources confirmed today.

The Sadar police in Abohar said a case under section 302 of the IPC had been registered against Balbir Singh, Satpal Singh and Jagsir Singh for allegedly killing a farmer Joginder Singh (70). The case was registered on the statement of Sukhdev Singh, son of the victim.

As per the report from Rawla in Sriganganagar, a case under section 302 has been registered against Radhey Shyam and his sons Sita Ram and Rajesh of Karadwala in connection with the murder of Jagdish Bishnoi (52).