B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Congman commits suicide
Gidderbaha (Muktsar), November 3
After a long protest by the Congress leaders on the Malout-Bathinda road here today, the Gidderbaha police booked five persons including a DSP, an SHO and an OSD to former finance minister Manpreet Badal and a municipal councillor for abetting a local leader of OBC cell (Congress) to commit suicide.

The kin of Gautam Tanwar and other Congress workers stage protest on the Malout- Bathinda road at Husnar chowk in Gidderbaha on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph

Fazilka youth conclave on Nov 6
Fazilka, November 3
The Graduate Welfare Association Fazilka (GWAF), which has carved a niche for itself by introducing the concept of car-free zone, eco-cab and dial-a-rickshaw facility in this border city, has taken up another task of bringing youths on one platform to provide them with an opportunity to channelise their energy for social transformation with the help of professionals of this town.

Shoppers select utensils on the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras at the Dhobi Bazaar in Bathinda on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma Members of the Punjab Revenue Officers’ Association hold a demonstration during an indefinite strike being observed to protest an allegedly false case registered against their colleague, in Bathinda on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph

Taekwondo Tourney
Bathinda eves lift overall trophy
Bathinda, November 3
Establishing their supremacy on the taekwondo ring, Bathinda girls clinched the overall trophy in the Punjab School Games (Taekwondo) while in the boys category, Amritsar went away with the title.

Reinstatement of DRDA official sought
Bathinda, November 3
In a memorandum submitted to the Bathinda Deputy Commissioner (DC), the Rural Development and Panchayat Department Officers/Employees Association, Bathinda, has asked the state’s rural development and Panchayat minister to reinstate assistant project officer (Monitoring) of the Bathinda District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Sadhu Ram Kusla immediately.

Ardas Diwas meeting
SAD leader flays Captain
Abohar, November 3
Congress leadership came under fire during the Ardas Divas meeting that was organised by the ruling SAD at Gurdwara Singh Sabha here amidst tight security arrangements.

Congman commits suicide
On the basis of the suicide note recovered from the pocket of the deceased and the statement of Sushma Devi, his wife, the Gidderbaha police booked five persons including two police officials— a DSP and an SHO — besides an OSD to former finance minister Manpreet Badal and a municipal councillor for abetting the suicide of Gautam Tanwar, a local leader of the Congress OBC cell
Rajay Deep/TNS

Gidderbaha (Muktsar), November 3
After a long protest by the Congress leaders on the Malout-Bathinda road here today, the Gidderbaha police booked five persons including a DSP, an SHO and an OSD to former finance minister Manpreet Badal and a municipal councillor for abetting a local leader of OBC cell (Congress) to commit suicide.

The relatives of the deceased and Congress activists placed the body on the road to pressurise the authorities to take action against the suspects. Finally, considering a suicide note recovered from the pocket of the deceased, Gautam Tanwar (45) and the statement of his widow Sushma Devi, in the evening, police booked the then DSP (Gidderbaha) Jagjit Singh Bhagtana, SHO (Gidderbaha) Devinder Singh, the OSD Charanjit Singh Fakkarsar, a municipal councillor Rajesh Gandhi and a journalist for threatening him to implicate in false cases.

As per the information, Sushma Devi in her statement to the police, alleged that her husband ended his life, succumbing to the vendetta politics of the accused group. She alleged that they all were harassing him for the past three years just due to his proximity to the Congress.

Levelling allegations at Charanjit Singh and Rajesh Gandhi, she said enjoying the political patronage of ruling party leaders, both were using police as tool to victimise her husband.

“A number of times, the DSP and SHO of Gidderbaha called my husband to police station and assaulted him without any reason. Some months back, they booked him in a false case related to attempt to murder, fearing which he fled to Delhi, where he met with an accident and lost one leg,” she alleged. She further said her husband hanged himself from the ceiling fan this morning. Postmortem was conducted at the civil hospital. Meanwhile, a number of Congress leaders reached the spot and accused the police to hush up the matter. Finding that the police was not ready to book the accused, the Congress leaders including Raghubir Singh, Sant Singh Brar and Narender Singh Kauni along with hundreds of party workers and the kin of deceased took his body to the Husnar Chowk and blocked the Malout-Bathinda road.

After long negotiations, senior police officials, who reached the spot agreed to lodge a case against the accused. Despite this, the protesters did not relent till they received a copy of the FIR in which all five were reportedly shown as booked under sections 306 and 34 of the IPC.

Speaking on phone, Manpreet Singh Badal termed it as a fabricated case stating that a lame person could not hang himself from a ceiling fan. “It is a move purely based on political vendetta by the SAD-led government under which they have started implicating my close associates. Soon, they would even book me in some false case. On the one hand, they are withdrawing cases against Captain Amarinder Singh and on the other, they are fabricating cases against my aides,” claimed Manpreet.

Fazilka youth conclave on Nov 6
Chander Parkash/ TNS

Fazilka, November 3
The Graduate Welfare Association Fazilka (GWAF), which has carved a niche for itself by introducing the concept of car-free zone, eco-cab and dial-a-rickshaw facility in this border city, has taken up another task of bringing youths on one platform to provide them with an opportunity to channelise their energy for social transformation with the help of professionals of this town.

To bring the residents of this town and its surrounding areas on a common platform to make them develop ties among themselves, the GWAF is organising the ‘Fazilka Youth Conclave’ on November 6.

“The mission of the conclave would be social transformation through technological innovation and courage,” Navdeep Asija, secretary (administration), GWAF, said, adding that investment to the tune of Rs 500 crores is expected in this belt, which would create employment opportunity for about 2,000 youths of this region. The conclave, which would be a non-political function, would reflect that youths of Fazilka, if they join hands, could do what the ruling political parties have not been able to do for the welfare of society.

“When all these people will put their heads together and will think about developing youth power for the betterment of society and for creating employment opportunity, the complexion of this region will change,” claimed Asija.

“Dare to dream and have to courage to follow your dream, do not let small failures of life dent your belief in your dream, have the courage to see things through when the going gets tough. The only one way I know is determination and hard work. Believe in yourself and be consistent and persistent, success has to follow. This will also be one of the messages to the youths at the conclave,” said Anoop Thatai, director, Orient Craft, one of the leading export houses of India, that is playing a key role in the organising of conclave.

Taekwondo Tourney
Bathinda eves lift overall trophy
Sudhanshu Verma
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 3
Establishing their supremacy on the taekwondo ring, Bathinda girls clinched the overall trophy in the Punjab School Games (Taekwondo) while in the boys category, Amritsar went away with the title.

The five-day inter-district tourney, in which boys and girls from across the state participated under age group of 14, 17 and 19 years, concluded at MHR Senior Secondary School here on Wednesday.

In the U-19 group for boys, Amritsar bagged top slot while Ludhiana got second place. Patiala had to be satisfied with the third place.

But Patiala girls compensated the loss in the U-19 group as they shared the first place with Bathinda. Faridkot and Ferozepur got the second and third place, respectively.

In the U-17 boys group, Jalandhar stood ahead of Patiala and Amritsar which came second and third, respectively.

And in the same group for girls category, the Amritsar eves brought moments of joys back in the camp as they captured top slot leaving Ludhiana and Bathinda with second and third slots.

Amritsar’s fighting sprits became visible also in the U-14 group as boys grabbed the first place while Patiala and Bathinda clinched the second and third spots.

Like an action replay of Patiala and Amritsar girls, Bathinda eves also compensated the loss incurred by boys in the U-14 category and clinched the first place. The second and third places were won by Ludhiana and Jalandhar.

At the prize distribution function, chief guest municipal councillor Harminder Singh, Vidhi Singh UK, chairman, Soft Tennis Association, Punjab, handed over the trophy to the winners.

Amarjit Kaur, deputy district education officer (Secondary), and assistant education officer Harnek Singh presided over the function. Principal Ashok Shastri, Prem Kumar Mittal and others were also present on the occasion. Gurpreet Singh, DP Nathana, conducted the function.

Reinstatement of DRDA official sought

Bathinda, November 3
In a memorandum submitted to the Bathinda Deputy Commissioner (DC), the Rural Development and Panchayat Department Officers/Employees Association, Bathinda, has asked the state’s rural development and Panchayat minister to reinstate assistant project officer (Monitoring) of the Bathinda District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Sadhu Ram Kusla immediately.

The association also asked the minister to take action against those “erring” persons of some computer centres (earlier running under the DRDA) who were involved in an alleged scam of lakhs of rupees that was exposed by Kusla. Due to this, they lodged complaints against the APO accusing him of indulging in corrupt practices, which was found wrong during inquiries by the Bathinda DC, the commissioner of the Faridkot Division, Faridkot, and the Vigilance Bureau (VB), the association added. The association said the Bathinda DC and the ADC had recommended registration of cases against the complainants but no case had been registered so far. Instead, the government suspended the APO, the association added. — TNS

Ardas Diwas meeting
SAD leader flays Captain
Our Correspondent

Abohar, November 3
Congress leadership came under fire during the Ardas Divas meeting that was organised by the ruling SAD at Gurdwara Singh Sabha here amidst tight security arrangements.

Balluana MLA Gurtej Singh Ghuriana regretted that Captain Amarinder Singh had resigned in protest against Operation Bluestar but was now singing paeans to the Congress that had not accorded justice to the kin of those massacred during the riots in Delhi.

SAD circle presidents Kaur Singh, Gurbanta Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Market Committee chairman Dhanpat Rai Siyag of BJP, Improvement Trust chairman Prahlad Khatwan, SAD national council advisor Sanjeev Godara were also present at the meeting.