Bathinda, July 23
In protest against non-acceptance of their demand of regularisation of their services on the pattern of Rural Medical Officers (RMOs) by the state government, members and activists of the Rural Health Pharmacists Association, Punjab, begged money from the people outside and inside the main bus stand here today.

President of the association Sukhvir Singh Raman led the protest. The protesters begged money from shopkeepers besides bus passengers, drivers and conductors. However, the protesters were not obliged when they approached some policemen posted near the bus stand. A leader of the protesters said the money collected would now be deposited in the Chief Minister's Relief Fund as the state government did not have funds for the welfare of employees.

The protesters also took out a march from the Mini-secretariat to the main bus stand here raising slogans against the Punjab Government, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Meanwhile, their indefinite dharna outside the Mini-secretariat here entered its third day today. 

Bathinda, July 23
On the call given by the United Forum of Bank Unions, about 10 lakh bank officials and workmen would participate in a day-long strike on August 5 and paralyse the functioning of the entire banking sector.

Stating this here today, SK Gautam, general secretary, All India State Bank of Patiala (SBoP) Employees Federation, said the strike was being observed in protest against financial policies of the government, which were not in favour of the banking sector, public interest and banking staff.

Gautam was in the city to participate in a regional convention (Bathinda zone) of the All India SBoP Employees Federation. President of the SBoP Employees Union (Punjab) Naresh Gaur was also present.

With regard to the recommendations of the Khandelwal Committee, Gautam said they opposed these recommendations and would not allow the government to implement the same. So the government should scrap these recommendations, he added.

The recommendations included outsourcing of all non-core jobs, direct recruitment of officers upto 50 per cent, fresh recruitment only in rural and semi-urban areas, bank-wise wage revision based on capacity to pay, profitability and productivity.

Among others present on the occasion were Jagdish Sharma, Narinder Bansal (zonal in-charge) and Karan Singla, a member of the central committee of All India Bank Employees Association.

Kotkapura, July 23
A youth was shot dead by the father of a young married woman. As per the details, the youth along with his brother went to the woman’s house to convince her parents to marry their daughter at Prem Nagar in Kotkapura in Faridkot district, yesterday.

Harjinder Singh, son of Bikkar Singh, a resident of the nearby Kothe Theh Wala village in a statement recorded to the police revealed that he went along with his brother Gurpreet Singh to the residence of Gurdev Singh yesterday. 

When they suggested the woman’s father to get his daughter divorced from her husband, he lost his temper and shot Gurpreet dead with his licensed revolver and fled from the spot immediately.

Harjinder stated that his deceased brother was in love with the woman for the past many years and they wanted to marry each other. However, the parents of the girl were not willing to re-marry their daughter. The woman allegedly did not have good relations with her husband.

After preliminary inquiry, the police had registered a criminal case under Section 302 of the IPC and Sections 27, 54 and 59 at the city police station.

SHO Gurjeet Singh Romana said further investigation was in progress and the alleged accused would be arrested soon.