The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Martyr’s family upset over commercialisation
Bhagat Singh’s museum at Khatkar Kalan
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

OfficialSpeak

Nawanshahr Deputy Commissioner Shruti Singh said, “Khatkar Kalan cannot become more popular because of any eatery. In fact, the restaurant has come up just because of the importance of the place. The emotions of the family members are justified for they are attached with it. But a restaurant has to be there at the site for visitors need to have something to munch during their journey break.”

Jalandhar, September 27
On the eve of the great martyr’s 103rd birth anniversary, the descendants of Bhagat Singh are quite upset over the commercialisation of the museum site at Khatkar Kalan in Nawanshahr.

The family members have alleged that since the past one year, the ancestral place of the Shaheed-e-Azam was being promoted more for business purposes rather than for its historical importance.

Bhagat Singh’s nephew Dr Jagmohan Singh said, “The place is now being popularised for a fast food joint ‘Dana Pani’, rather than its historical importance. When I went there some days back, I found that the signboard for museum had been pulled down to replace it with that of the restaurant’s name. Instead of the museum, the signage for restaurant has become more visible on the Phagwara-Chandigarh highway.”

“I had to pursue with the officials there for putting back the museum board. For the same reason, the place has become more commercialised with people taking down interest just in fast food made available there. Initially, the basic idea was to have a few food options so that people sitting at the site and spending long time could have light refreshment,” he said.

Likewise, Bhagat Singh’s younger brother’s son Abhey Singh Sandhu said he, too, had felt that the commercialisation had led to disrespect to the historical site. He added, “I have noticed that the restaurant remains open till late night and the site is getting misused.”

Girl eliminates brother to keep love affair alive
The girl, Hardip Kaur of Poonia village, her lover, Jasbir Singh, and his friend Baljinder Singh have been arrested for the murder
Parmod Bharti

Nawanshahr, September 27
In a bizarre incident, a minor girl in connivance with her lover and his friend allegedly murdered her brother and threw his body in an abandoned well. The police has arrested the girl, Hardip Kaur of Poonia village, her lover, Jasbir Singh, and his friend Baljinder Singh of Jeendowal village under sections 302, 201 and 34 of the IPC.

Giving details, SSP Narinder Bhargav said as per the directions of Paramjit Singh Gill, IG, Patiala Zone, the district police had been asked to trace the cases of missing persons.

Rakesh Kumar, CIA in charge, during the investigation of the case of missing of Sukhjit Singh of Poonia village, found Sukhjit was not missing as per the FIR lodged by his mother Manjit Kaur at Banga police station on April 18, instead, he had been murdered by none other than his real sister in connivance with her lover. It came to light that Hardip Kaur had developed an affair with Jasbir Singh against her brother’s wishes.

During the intervening night of April 17 and 18, Hardip, Jasbir and Baljinder mixed a tablet containing intoxicant in his meal and then strangulated his neck while he was asleep on the roof of his house. They then threw his body in an abandoned well.

Moreover, the accused girl also gave two mobile phones and Rs 5,000 of her brother and gold ornaments lying in the house to her lover and later it was posed that Sukhdip Singh had gone missing with the gold ornaments.

The police has recovered the mortal remains of the body of Sukhjit from the well. The body was identified by the mother and a relative of the deceased from the clothes and other items, said the SSP.

Boy enacts drama of his kidnapping, held
P.K. Jaiswar/TNS

Amritsar, September 27
Unable to pay the money lost in cricket betting, a boy enacted a drama of his kidnapping and demanded Rs 5 lakh as ransom for his release. However, his attempt was foiled and he was caught by the city police from a hotel room in Chandigarh today.

According to information, Vishesh Khanna, a resident of Kashmir Avenue and son a textile trader, lost over Rs 2.50 lakh in the betting and he was in utter need of money to pay to bookies.

The police had registered a case under Section 364-A and 34 of the IPC at A-Division police station on the statement of his father, Pawan Khanna.

Inderbir Singh, ACP, said after recovering the boy the police had launched a hunt to trace the persons involved in betting.

During investigations it came to light that on September 24, Khanna went to DAV College for examination and did not return home. He sent a message from his mobile phone to his family that he had been abducted by several unidentified persons and asked them to deposit Rs 5 lakh in his account (No 6305103100000039). The family received more messages from the same mobile phone on the next day.

The family approached the police, which traced the location of the mobile phone from which the messages were sent, which was later traced at Chandigarh. Police teams rushed to Chandigarh, which recovered Vishesh from a hotel room.

Power tussle between two ministers leads to postponement of coop society poll
Gurbaxpuri

Supporters of ministers come face to face

Brahmpura men stage dharna, block traffic for two hours

Returning officer says poll postponed due to lack of quorum

Tarn Taran, September 27
Supporters of two Punjab ministers came face to face at township Naushehra Pannuan at the time of election for the directors of the Multipurpose Cooperative Society. The power quotient in both the groups led to the postponement of the election.

There were total 300 eligible members of the society who were to elect 9 directors.

The supporters of Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister, blocked traffic on the national highway No 15 for more than two hours by staging a dharna protesting against the postponement of the election.

The township Naushehra Pannuan being the Vidhan Sabha seat before the delimitation was being represented by Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, which has now come in Patti constituency represented by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adeshpartap Singh Kairon.

Majority of the society members are said to be pro to Brahmpura. According to the sources, as soon as the election for the society started both the groups came face to face and started shouting slogans against each other.

Guriqbal Singh, Inspector in the Cooperative Department and the Returning Officer, said the society election was postponed due to lack of quorum (absence of more than 75 per cent members).

But Subash Chander, Chairman, market committee of the township, and supporter of Brahmpura, countered the claim saying more than 200 members were staging a dharna. The supporters of Brahmpura staged a dharna under the leadership of senior SAD leader Lakhbir Singh Pannu, Vice-Chairman of the local Zila Parishad.

Police inaction: MLA threatens to block road
Our Correspondent

Batala, September 27
Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal, SAD MLA from Quadian, has blamed the local police of inaction and partiality. He also threatened to block road if the police failed to act impartially. Lodhinangal said the police was working under the directions of certain political leaders, which was highly condemnable.

He cited the example of the sarpanch of Bhalowali village, who has won an “arraign” under the provision of the SC/ST Act at the instance of a Dalit woman teacher. Despite the inquiry holding sarpanch non-guilty, the police has not exonerated him.

In another case, a depot holder from Khehra village was arrested and the ration allotted to him was given to the depot holder of Parowal village, but he did not supply the same to the card holders and in a raid conducted by officers, 180 quintals of wheat and pulses were recovered from him, Lodhinangal said.

In another case, a depot holder of Singhpura village, who used to distribute ration by making announcement through the village gurdwara, and his family members were attacked by some people at his house. When the villagers came to their rescue, the miscreants ran away leaving behind three motorcycles.

Lodhinangal said the police did not arrest any of the accused so far at the instance of certain political leaders.

He said if the police did not act then he and his supporters would be forced to block road.

Data entry operators’ protest enters 8th day
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 27
The ongoing protest of the members of the Data Entry Operators Union, Punjab, of the Revenue Department today entered the eighth day. The protest has been going on at the local District Administrative Complex (DAC).

The agitated members submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Priyank Bharti highlighting their problems.

President of the union Ashok Kumar said instead of regularising them, the state government was recruiting new data entry operators.

“We have been working on contract on a meagre salary of Rs 2,890 per month for the past four years. And we usually get our salary after two to three months, which further adds to our woes,” he added.

The members said despite raising their genuine demands with the state government nothing had been done till date. “In case the government fails to fulfil our demands, we will be forced to come on the roads,” he added.