Barnala, September 30
Cutting across party lines two senior leaders of two major political parties, who were asking people to follow restraint following the Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute, allegedly opened fire in the air at the main market in Barnala to celebrate the occasion.

Sources said the two leaders were leading a group of people raising slogans at about 7 pm. One of them, a Beopar Mandal president with affinity to the Congress and the other from the BJP, who hails from Barnala and holds a senior position in Faridkot district unit of the BJP, allegedly fired two rounds in the air.

Confirming the incident, SSP Barnala, Gurpreet Singh Toor said around 16 people were responsible for the incident. He added that police has taken cognizance of the incident and that security has already been beefed up in the area. — TNS

Bathinda, September 30
The body of a day-old male was found from the Sirhind Canal here today. It was taken to the Civil Hospital where it underwent post-mortem examination. The police has registered a case against unknown persons.

Satnam Singh, a driver with the Waheguru Welfare Society, an NGO, said the body was seen by some boys in the canal, who informed him on seeing his van parked nearby. He said they took the body out of the canal and informed the police control room, following which the police reached the spot. Senior medical officer of the Civil Hospital Dr Vinod Kumar Garg said a two-member team of doctors comprising Dr Rakesh Gupta (Surgeon) and Dr Partik Kapila (Child specialist) conducted the post-mortem examination of the body. The police said after the post-mortem, the body was handed over to the workers of the NGO to perform last rites. A case had been registered against unknown persons under section 318 of the IPC, the police added.

Moga, September 30
The district and sessions judge of Moga Raj Shekhar Attri has sentenced a 25-year youth to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing his minor cousin within four weeks of the framing of charges against him. The court recorded the statements of the girl, her mother and witnesses on a day-to-day basis within four days last week.

Meanwhile, in another case, the additional district and sessions judge sentenced the ringleader of a robber’s gang to five years of imprisonment while two of his associates have got two-year imprisonment each in a broad daylight robbery case in 2006.

Sardulgarh, September 30
The state government is going to set up the Punjab School of Sports at Bathinda. Besides a school and college, it would have an astroturf synthetic track and sports infrastructure of the Olympic level.

Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said this here today. Sukhbir was here today to give away prizes to the winning contingents of the colleges, participating in the Zonal Youth Festival at Balraj Singh Bhundar Memorial Government College.

Sukhbir said 13 more stadiums would be upgraded to international level with floodlight facilities in ten stadiums at the cost of Rs 123 crores. He also announced the setting up of 15 more degree colleges in the backward and remote areas, including one in Mansa.