Bathinda, October 24
Cremation of an Army jawan without guard of honour today created tension in village Maesar Khana of Bathinda district.The villagers took it as a matter of disrespect towards a soldier who sacrificed his life while serving the country. Meanwhile, the annoyed villagers and kin of the deceased soldier lashed out at the politicians and senior bureaucrats of the district for shying away from the cremation ground.

According to information available, 27-year-old Jaskaran Singh of Maesar Khana village was a Lance Naik with 10 Sikh Light Infantry in the Army. He was part of the troops who laid ambush near the Line of Control in the Uri sector (Jammu and Kashmir) when a landslide hit the area and killing a captain and two soldiers on October 22.

The body was brought to the village by the Army officials at about 9 am today. Some civil and police officials also reached the cremation ground. However, least bothering about the public sentiments, neither the Army nor the civil administration of Bathinda district came forward to accord the “martyr” a guard of honour, rued the villagers.

“The civil administration took the cremation of a soldier in a very callous way. Neither any senior police or civil official of the district reached the spot nor did they arrange for the guard of honour, which is otherwise a regular practice. Further, the officials who arrived to attend the cremation were also in a hurry to leave¸ which irritated the villagers,” informed Bhupinder Singh, president of a social welfare club of the village—Pind Sudhar Sabha.

Speaking further, villagers lamented, “We fear the kind of ‘respect’ the administration gave to the poor soldier will demoralize youths willing to join the Army. Had it been a cremation of some rich person, not only the administration but the politicians too would have been there consoling the bereaved family.”

Taking cue, state president of the Dalit Sena, Kiranjeet Singh Gahiri¸ who had visited to console the bereaved family, also condemned the role of the administration.

On the other hand, DSP Maur, Gurmeet Singh said, “We attended the cremation with respect. We could have given the guard of honour but the Army officials, who had reached there, did not ask us to do so.”

Meanwhile, worried over the resentment among the kin of the deceased soldier, a number of Army intelligence officials of Bathinda cantonment were reported to be visiting media houses with their version that the Army had asked the district administration to arrange for a guard of honour but it was not done.

The deceased is survived by his pregnant wife and one-and-half years old daughter.

Moga, October 24
Anjali (name changed), a 17-year-old hailing from a lower middle class family fell in love about three years back with Dinesh Kumar, a youth living near their house in the old city area of Moga. But she never thought that the boy whom she trusted so blindly would betray and blackmail her by making her porn clippings to satisfy his friends' lust.

Dinesh, who was in the business of mobile phones, established sexual relations with the girl when she was just 14 years old. Taking advantage of the technology, he made her porn clippings on his mobile phone. He made a CD of the porn clippings, which he first gave it to Ripandeep Singh, son of Mohinder Singh and Tejinder Singh, son of Balwinder Singh and blackmailed the girl to have sexual relations with them. These two boys then raped the girl many a time.

Then, Dinesh passed on the CD to his cousin Rahul Kumar, son of Ashok Kumar, a resident of Ludhiana and helped him to establish sexual relations with the girl. Another cousin Paras, son of Roshan Lal, a resident of Baghapurana, also came to know about the girl and got the CD from Dinesh and started blackmailing her. The girl was forced to develop sexual relations with him also.

One Satnam Singh, a resident of Jalandhar who is a friend of Dinesh was also introduced to the girl who established sexual relations with her many times during the past one year. A few days back, he called the girl to Jalandhar by blackmailing her with the porn CD telling her that if she did not come he would send it to her parents. The girl was kept there in a hotel for three days and raped by him and his friends.

Meanwhile, the parents of the girls lodged a complaint with the police that their daughter had gone missing. A hunt was launched to find her but on the fourth day she came back and narrated the whole story to her parents.

The family decided to approach the police following which the police registered an FIR under section 376 (2-G) of the IPC at the city (south) police station on Saturday evening.

SHO Varinder Singh revealed to The Tribune that he had arrested the main culprit Dinesh and one of his friends Ripandeep Singh who would be produced before a local court on Monday.

“We have got medical examination of the girl conducted at the district hospital and despatched separate police teams to Ludhiana, Baghapurana and Jalandhar to nab the other culprits,” he said.

It has also been alleged by the girl that the other youths had also recorded their sexual encounters with her on mobile phone cameras. Later, they used these clips to blackmail her. 

Ferozpur, October 24
Showcasing the diverse culture and rich craftsmanship from various states of the sub-continent, the two-day Rail Mela organised by the NRWWA on the premises of the divisional railway office here, concluded today.

In this event, the railway officials of the division put up vibrant stalls for shopping, fun games and mouth watering delicacies of the region which attracted large crowds.

Woollen shawls from snow-clad mountains of Kashmir to the traditional clothes from sweltering deserts of Rajasthan, from north eastern beadwork and Assamese silk to chikan of Lucknow, the Rail Mela had it all.

It really proved to be a bonanza for the shopping buffs, especially the ladies, who with Diwali round the corner, evinced keen interests in purchasing traditional dresses, handicrafts and artifacts from various states. Metal souvenirs from Moradabad and Phulkari of Punjab also attracted a lot of visitors.

The Mela which took off yesterday was inaugurated by SK Budhlakoti, General Manager (GM), Northern Railways.

The GM appreciated the efforts of the NRWWA Ferozepur in organising the event.

Vishwesh Chowbey, DRM, Dharmendra Sr DCM, J P Pander Sr DPO besides other officials, women and children were also present.

Dr Anita Chowbey, president NRWWA, said that the funds generated from organising this mela would be utilised for the welfare of railwaymen and their families in moments of hardship. “ The endeavour was to look after the welfare needs of employees in holistic manner,” she said, adding that these events also foster social solidarity and communal harmony. 

Ferozepur, October 24
As a mark of solidarity towards the farmer Pirthipal Singh Chak Alisher who died in Mansa a few days back following an altercation between the farmers and arhtiyas over the auction of a piece of land belonging to one Bhola Singh, hundreds of farmers representing over 17 different unions from the entire region converged at Hussainiwala, where the ashes of the deceased farmer were immersed today in the waters of the Sutlej near the National Martyrs Memorial.

The farmers who gathered here termed Pirthipal as a martyr who sacrificed his life for the cause of farmers’ welfare. The farmers demanded that those allegedly responsible for his death should be apprehended and put behind the bars immediately. Leaders of various farmer organisations addressed the congregation.

Talking to The Tribune, Karan Singh Dhaliwal, a progressive farmer hailing from Muktsar said the Punjab government was not serious towards the welfare of the farmers. He said the compensation announced by the state government in lieu of the crops damaged following floods in Sutlej has still not reached the farmers.

Fazilka, October 24
The Beopar Mandal, Fazilka, has decided to observe 72 hours long complete bandh in this town from November 12 to November 14 to lodge their protest against denial of district status to this sub-division by Punjab government.

The activists of different trade, social, farmers, industrial, business and voluntary organisations have been observing hunger strike for the past more than two months to press the government of Punjab to accord district status to this sub divisional town.

Ashok Gulbadhar, president, Beopar Mandal, said today that a decision to observe three days long bandh was taken at a meeting held late last night in this town.

Bathinda, October 24
In a disgusting incident of superstition, a man along with his wife allegedly made an attempt to kill his 55-year-old mother to offer her to a deity at village Mehta of Bathinda district, this morning.

Sources in the village informed that one Hardev Singh and his wife Pal Kaur were devotees of the Goddess Kali. For the past few days, people had observed some behavioural changes in the couple.

Speaking to the villagers, the woman in question Naseeb Kaur alleged that she was lying in bed last night, when her son and daughter-in-law went out without having dinner. They returned late at night and immediately started worshipping Goddess Kali by performing some rituals. They kept a lot of things including lockets beside them.

At about 3 am, the couple went to her and immediately after saying that she had only the last five minutes of her life to live as the goddess was about to appear, they pounced upon her with an intention to kill, the villagers recounted her words.

Hearing her cries, neighbours rushed to the house but found the gate bolted from the inside. Reacting swiftly, some of them jumped into the house through the roof from the neighbours’ house, while some broke open the gate.

Neighbours said when they entered the house, they found the woman palpitating. “We offered her water but in the meantime her son and daughter-in-law managed to flee,” they alleged.

Receiving the information, Sangat police reached the spot and recorded the statement of the woman. Acting upon the statement of the complainant, Sangat police initiated the probe.

SHO Sangat police station, Sandeep Singh said, “Though the woman did not mention that she was being killed for being offered to a deity, there were some villagers who levelled such allegation. We are probing the case but as the accused couple is absconding, the facts are still unknown.”

Meanwhile, no one from the village could point to the reason behind the incident. 

Bathinda, October 24
One person was killed after an unidentified person opened fire at a wedding palace at village Kotfatta in this district today.According to information, the incident took place during the wedding party of a kin of an ex-sarpanch of village Kotshamir, which was going on at Dhillon Palace.

Some of the relatives of the groom were opening fire outside the marriage palace. Meanwhile, one of them entered the main hall and climbed on to the stage and opened fire from there also.

The bullet hit a waiter there. The injured was rushed to the Civil Hospital, Bathinda, where the doctors declared him brought dead.

The deceased was identified as Makhan Singh (23) of Vadi Nangal village in Haryana and was the only brother of four sisters.

Kotfatta police was investigating the matter and no case had been lodged.

Bathinda, October 24
One person was injured while a van turned into ashes in a blast at a store of a shop in Teona village this afternoon.The blast took place at a shop of shuttering goods when an employee Harbhagwan Singh tried to start a van parked there. The vehicle was equipped with an LPG kit and due to leakage, while igniting the engine a spark took place that set the van ablaze.

The driver sustained injuries and rushed out of the vehicle. Before people could reach, four drums of mobile oil and diesel also caught fire. The fire led to a blast damaging the shop and turning the vehicle into ashes.

Fire brigade officials rushed to the spot and doused the flames. The shop belonged to Varinder Singh and Tarlok Singh of village Teona. Police is investigating. — TNS

Chandigarh, October 24
Nearly 150 police stations from across the state, which were thrown open to the public from October 18 to 24 for inspection, will now compete globally for their ranking in an exercise that will judge most people-friendly police stations across the world.

Altus Global Alliance that launched this initiative four years ago has said that Punjab police stations have come a long way with outreach services for community, women-specific programmes and improved facilities. Across the globe, 25 countries are participating in this initiative this year.

At the global level, Altus Global Alliance has been conducting police station visits since 2006 and has mobilised thousands of citizens from across the world to walk into their local police station to see how the police serves its public. During the past week, citizens ranging from schoolchildren to top industrialists visited these police stations to give their evaluation on their working.

According to Dr Pramod Kumar, Director, Institute for Development and Communication and Altus Global Alliance, the commitment to involve citizens in improving police services in Punjab had been growing. Police stations in Punjab have been part of the global movement not only for the visits, but also in finalising the standards and protocols.