B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Real Estate Agent Commits Suicide
City police station SHO among four booked
Bathinda, June 3
City police station SHO and three others have been booked after a local businessman committed suicide by consuming a poisonous substance this morning. A case against City police station SHO Ranbir Singh and three others, identified as Ajay, Ravi and Ram, was registered at the Canal colony police station on the statement of Pushpa Devi, the widow of the deceased Mohan Lal.

A senior police functionary reads a note, which is suspected to be written by the deceased, in Bathinda on Friday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Robbers strike at 8 petrol pumps in one night
Bathinda, June 3
As many as eight petrol pumps in Bathinda and Muktsar districts were looted of cash to the tune of lakhs by a gang after attacking the employees there with iron rods and other weapons, late on Thursday night.

Row over internal assessments
Moga college students upset as PU withholds result
Moga, June 3
Fate of hundreds of students studying in various courses in the DM College, Moga, is hanging in fire as the Punjab University (PU) has rejected the internal assessment reports prepared by the principal, unilaterally, without consulting the class teachers.

CM Badal back to business
Meets families of those killed in lightning on May 21
Badal, June 3
Barely few hours after the bhog ceremony of his wife Surinder kaur Badal, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was back on job today. Though he is yet to come to terms with the tragedy, Badal today visited the bereaved families of those who were killed due to lightning in Punjaba and Fathepur Mania villages of Muktsar district on May 21.

Former Haryana CM Bhajan Lal’s death mourned
Abohar, June 3
Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal’s death due to heart attack at Hissar today has sent shock waves in Seetogunno sub-tehsil of this sub-division. Both of his sons - former Haryana Deputy CM Chander Mohan and Haryana Janhit Congress president and former MP Kuldeep Bishnoi got married in this segment. His close relatives are also settled in Seetogunno village.

3 accused in bank dacoity case held
Ferozepur, June 3
The members of the gang, involved in bank dacoity in the branch of Allahabad Bank, located in Zira town of this district, on May 20, were arrested by the cops today. Two firearms, two motorcycles and a cash of Rs 3 lakh had been recovered from their possession.

Suspension of water supply to Gang canal hits cotton sowing
Sriganganagar, June 3
With suspension of water supply to the Gang (Bikaner) canal, sowing of cotton has suffered yet another jolt. While suspending supply by shutting down the gates at the Mallanwala headworks, the Punjab Irrigation officials said it had become inevitable as vast stretch of lining in the Ferozepur feeder had started sinking and needed immediate repair.

Real Estate Agent Commits Suicide
City police station SHO among four booked
Chander Parkash
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 3
City police station SHO and three others have been booked after a local businessman committed suicide by consuming a poisonous substance this morning. A case against City police station SHO Ranbir Singh and three others, identified as Ajay, Ravi and Ram, was registered at the Canal colony police station on the statement of Pushpa Devi, the widow of the deceased Mohan Lal. Mohan ran a shop and worked as a real estate agent in the town.

The kin of the deceased also blocked traffic in front of the local Civil Hospital here for about half an hour suspecting that the police authorities might not include the name of the accused SHO in the FIR.

In her statement with the police, Pushpa alleged that Mohan had lent about Rs 2.6 lakh to Ravi and Ajay. When her husband started demanding money, they started harassing him on one pretext or the other.

She alleged that few days ago, her husband was picked by Ranbir Singh, SHO, City police station, and taken to his official residence where the SHO clicked Mohan's photographs with a girl, who was already present in the house.

After some time, Ajay reached the spot and got Mohan freed from Ranbir. However, both Ajay and Ravi started blackmailing Mohan. They threatened Mohan that if he would not give them more money, they would get his photographs with the girl published in newspapers.

She further alleged that the accused forced Mohan to enter into an agreement to sell a residential house, which was in the name of his daughter-in-law. The accused also forced him to sign five blank cheques.

She said as Mohan Lal was fed up with the repeated harassment and blackmailing, he consumed poisonous substance today and ended his life.

Meanwhile, the police authorities have recovered three notes, suspected to be written by the deceased on different dates, explaining the circumstances that forced him to take the extreme step.

SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill said on the statement of Pushpa Devi, a case under Sections 306 and 34 of the IPC had been registered.

He added that investigation into this case would be conducted to find out if Ranbir Singh was at fault or not.

Robbers strike at 8 petrol pumps in one night
Chander Parkash
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 3
As many as eight petrol pumps in Bathinda and Muktsar districts were looted of cash to the tune of lakhs by a gang after attacking the employees there with iron rods and other weapons, late on Thursday night.

The members of the gang moved from one petrol pump to another and attacked the staff with iron rods and sticks. About 10 employees of the petrol pumps are undergoing treatment in different hospitals at Gidderbaha, Bathinda and Lambi.

Both Bathinda and Muktsar police authorities have registered separate cases at different police stations. Interestingly, the members of gang continued their looting drive for few hours without any resistance from any quarter.

The members, who have been identified by the Bathinda police, started looting petrol pumps in Muktsar district first. After looting two petrol pumps there, they entered Bathinda district and looted another two petrol pumps in Balluana and Jhumba villages. Further, the accused re-entered the Muktsar district and struck at the petrol pump in Singhewala village after injuring its salesman Gandhi Ram.

Later, the accused returned to Bathinda district and tried to loot a petrol pump in Kaljharani village. However, a section of village residents foiled the attempt. In the meantime, the accused managed to flee from the spot.

After that, they struck at two petrol pumps in Pathrala village of Bathinda district and looted the same after injuring four persons there.

Bathinda SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill said two members of the gang had been identified as Jaswinder Singh and Kulwinder Singh, who are brothers and belong to Jai Singh Wala village of Bathinda district. He added that the duo had escaped from the Lambi police station about five weeks ago.

He said separate cases were registered in different police stations and police parties had been despatched to nab the accused.

Row over internal assessments
Moga college students upset as PU withholds result
Kulwinder Sandhu/TNS

Moga, June 3
Fate of hundreds of students studying in various courses in the DM College, Moga, is hanging in fire as the Punjab University (PU) has rejected the internal assessment reports prepared by the principal, unilaterally, without consulting the class teachers.

The PU authorities had withheld the result of B.Com (final) of this college. The result of this class was declared by the university recently. As many as 80 students had been affected by the move of the university. The result of other classes has not yet been declared by the university. There are as many as 1200 students studying in the college in commerce, science, arts and computer science courses.

Students, who lodged a protest in front of the principal’s office on Thursday and Friday, feared that if the row over internal assessments is not solved within a few days, the university authorities may also withhold the result of other classes of this college. Advocate Satpal Gupta, President of the DM College Managing Committee, called an emergency meeting of the committee on Friday afternoon, in which, the representatives of the teachers’ union and executive members of the committee participated and discussed the issue.

Presiding over the meeting, Gupta expressed concern over the fate of students and sought the help of teachers to send their class-wise internal assessment reports, which would be forwarded to the university through proper channel so that the results of students do not get affected by this ‘mistake’. Most of the members of the committee even demanded action against the Principal Dr Deepak Kaushal, who is on a probation period of two years, terming his ‘mistake’ as ‘grave administrative error’, which has also created fissures in the teaching faculty.

A senior member of the committee revealed that ‘action is being taken’ against the principal by going through all the legal options and rules and regulations of the university and the college.

The Tribune tried to contact the principal but he was not available in his office and was said to have gone to Chandigarh to meet the university authorities for solving the issue. The leaders of teachers’ union alleged that the principal has not asked the teachers to prepare the internal assessment reports; therefore, they refused to sign the reports prepared by the principal in his personal capacity.

CM Badal back to business
Meets families of those killed in lightning on May 21
Tribune News Service

Badal, June 3
Barely few hours after the bhog ceremony of his wife Surinder kaur Badal, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was back on job today. Though he is yet to come to terms with the tragedy, Badal today visited the bereaved families of those who were killed due to lightning in Punjaba and Fathepur Mania villages of Muktsar district on May 21.

Four persons, two each from the villages, were killed while they were working in fields.

Badal visited the house of Balwinder Singh and Gurnam Singh, residents of Punjaba village, and gave a cheque of Rs one lakh each to their family members. He promised that the state government would also make arrangements to give pension to Balwinder's widow.

Later, the Chief Minister met the family members of Satnam Singh and Bohar Singh, residents of Fathepur Mania, and gave cheques of Rs one lakh each to their family members. He also gave a cheque of Rs 10,000 to Mohinder Singh of the village, who was injured in lightning.

Before visiting these two villages, the Chief Minister along with senior civil and police functionaries of the Muktsar district took a round to different institutes, including the State Institute of Nursing in this village, to see their functioning.

Former Haryana CM Bhajan Lal’s death mourned
Our Correspondent

Abohar, June 3
Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal’s death due to heart attack at Hissar today has sent shock waves in Seetogunno sub-tehsil of this sub-division. Both of his sons - former Haryana Deputy CM Chander Mohan and Haryana Janhit Congress president and former MP Kuldeep Bishnoi got married in this segment. His close relatives are also settled in Seetogunno village.

Bhajan Lal and his family have been frequently visiting this area to attend social as well as political functions.

Before parting away with Congress in 2007, Bhajan Lal had been a star campaigner for the Balluana constituency that has thousands of Bishnoi community votes in the Seetogunno belt. While mourning his death Akhil Bhartiya Jeev Raksha Bishnoi Sabha said Bhajan Lal had been crowned as ‘Bishnoi Rattan’ since he worked hard to save wildlife and contributed a lot in the development of the holy places of the community.

3 accused in bank dacoity case held
Tribune News Service

Ferozepur, June 3
The members of the gang, involved in bank dacoity in the branch of Allahabad Bank, located in Zira town of this district, on May 20, were arrested by the cops today. Two firearms, two motorcycles and a cash of Rs 3 lakh had been recovered from their possession.

Six armed youth with covered faces struck at the Zira-based branch of Allahabad Bank on the Ferozepur-Zira road on May 20 and looted more than Rs 12 lakh. The accused had taken the keys of the strongroom from the officials at gunpoint.

Police sources said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Surjeet Singh, SP (H) and comprising Sarbjit Singh, in-charge, CIA and Rajbir Singh, a sub-inspector, cracked this case.

The three accused were identified as Nishan Singh, Baljinder Singh and Surjeet Singh, all residents of Ruknewala village. They were arrested near Dhira Kara village. The accused have confessed to their crime.

Other three accused including Malook Singh, leader of the gang, Gurmeet Singh and Gurmeet Singh, all residents of Dhol Wala village of Moga, were yet to be arrested.

Surjeet Singh, SP (H), said one 315 bore pistol with three live cartridges, one 12 bore country made pistol with two live cartridges, two motorcycles used by the accused in bank dacoity, clothes worn by the accused at the time of committing crime and Rs 300460 were recovered from them.

Suspension of water supply to Gang canal hits cotton sowing
Our Correspondent

Sriganganagar, June 3
With suspension of water supply to the Gang (Bikaner) canal, sowing of cotton has suffered yet another jolt. While suspending supply by shutting down the gates at the Mallanwala headworks, the Punjab Irrigation officials said it had become inevitable as vast stretch of lining in the Ferozepur feeder had started sinking and needed immediate repair.

The work was expected to be completed within next five days. Narayan Jyani, Executive Engineer, Canal regulation, rushed to Ferozepur to express resentment on behalf of the Rajasthan government.

He asked as to why the Punjab Irrigation Department had not bothered to get the damaged lining repaired during the closure of the entire Sirhind feeder irrigation system for 10 days in April.

He asked the officials to expedite repair work within 4-5 days to make water available to farmers in Sriganganagar and neighbouring areas for sowing of cotton next week.