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SAD co-opts 15 members
Changing equations
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More than 1,500 apply for Cong ticket
Seeking death penalty for Hawara, CBI moves SC
Free electricity bankrupting power corporation
Sukhbir takes on Capt over development
PPP chief ‘unaffected’ by defections
PPP promises to recover money laundered by politicians, bureaucrats
Pre-election sops for govt staff continue
Drug mafia active in Punjab jails, says DGP
Ailing hippo: Admn fails to take action against circus
Three months on, ZP teachers yet to receive relieving letters
Traffic violators still pay fines in district court
HC upholds setting aside of lecturers’ selection
Under debt, farmer ends life in bank at Abohar
Cattle thieves crush cop to death
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SAD co-opts 15 members
Those who made it to the new SGPC House through co-option include former SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar, former executive member Karnail Singh Panjoli, Ram Singh, Jagtar Singh Rode (all from Punjab) former SGPC senior vice-president Raghujeet Singh Virk from Haryana, Surjeet Singh Kang from Rajasthan, Sharanjeet Singh, Charanjeet Singh, Sukhmeet Singh (all from UP), Harbhajan Singh Cheema from Uttarakhand, Harmanjeet Singh, Bhupinder Singh Anand, Gurminder Singh Matharu (all from New Delhi), Gurinder Singh Bawa from Mumbai and Sukhwinder Kaur from MP. Badungar and Virk have made it to the SGPC House through co-option for the third consecutive time. Similarly, Bawa and Anand have got another chance from Mumbai and Delhi, respectively. The SAD gave one seat to its alliance partner, the Sant Samaj, by co-opting Jagtar Singh Rode, former Akal Takht Jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode’s brother, a confidant of Damdami Taksal Chief Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa. The meeting was presided over by Tarn Taran DC Satwant Singh Johal. When the meeting began at 1 pm, the elected members were asked to choose the chairman to run the House proceedings. Rajinder Singh Mehta proposed the name of Avtar Singh Makkar, which was seconded by Amarjeet Singh Chawla. Makkar then led the proceedings to co-opt 15 members to the House. There was chaos for a brief period when Opposition members Kulbir Singh Barapind, Surjeet Singh and Gurpreet Singh Chhabar insisted that one of their members be co-opted. The suggestion was turned down by the SAD. As the Opposition members charged towards the dais, the DC intervened and asked them to name their candidate. They moved the name of Bhai Isher Singh from Hyderabad but could not furnish the required documents. Sikh Gurdwara Election Commissioner HS Brar, who was also present at the meeting, said the names of the co-opted members would be sent to the Centre which would issue a notification.
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Changing equations
Ludhiana, December 5 Gabria said he had been in touch with Sokhi for the past few days. “We have joined hands and will work on strengthening the party in the coming elections,” said Gabria, while speaking over the phone from Amritsar. Sokhi has had a long association with Bains. He had opposed Independent candidate Surinder Singh Ryait backed by Gabria who unsuccessfully contested against Bains’ elder brother Balwinder Singh in the last SGPC elections. Both Bains and Gabria have been at loggerheads for a very long time. A few months back, Sokhi, along with other Akali councillors, had held a press conference against Gabria. Speaking to The Tribune from Amritsar, Sokhi said he would comment on the issue only on reaching Ludhiana. Bains could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
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More than 1,500 apply for Cong ticket
Chandigarh, December 5 He said a final picture on the total number of applicants would emerge tomorrow. In 2007, only 900 applications were received by the party. Both Pradesh Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh and Congress Legislature Party Leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal have applied for the party ticket from Patiala and Lehragaga, respectively. Former DGP SS Virk has applied for the party ticket from Dasuya. Former PCS officer Ajmer Singh Virk has applied for the party ticket from Jagraon. In case of the Lambi constituency held by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, those seeking the party ticket include the CM’s cousin, Maheshinder Singh, and Jagpal Singh Abulkhurana, son of former minister Gurnam Singh Abulkhurana. Capt Sandhu said according to reports reaching the headquarters, as of now Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Jagmeet Brar was yet to apply for the ticket. Brar, who had lost the last Lok Sabha election from Ferozepur, is a likely candidate from Muktsar. Reports said Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa’s brother Fatehjang Bajwa had applied for the Qadian seat. This means Fatehjang is likely to contest from the family seat unless Partap Singh’s wife also jumps into the poll fray. Sandhu said Bhattal’s son-in-law Vikram Bajwa had applied for the party ticket from Sahnewal, despite a survey conducted by the Pradesh Congress giving him slim
victory chances. Among the youth leaders, Raja Wiring had applied for the Gidderbaha seat. Sandhu said there was no reports on the candidature of other youth leaders who were kin of senior state leaders.
The Race
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Oppn comes to rescue of assaulted teacher
Gidderbaha, December 5 Leaders of both the parties said the incident proved there was “jungle raj” in the state. Vinu Badal, PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal’s wife, along with Bhagwant Mann and other party leaders, met activists of the Teachers’ Union. She said: “On the one hand she (Harsimrat) has launched a campaign to save the girl child under the Nanhi Chhaan programme and on the other male activists of her party are slapping women.” She said Harsimrat must own moral responsibility and apologise on behalf of the SAD sarpanch. Vinu demanded that the local DSP and the SHO should be transferred and a case registered against them for failure to perform their duty. Bhagwant Mann lashed out at the police for being a mute spectator as the sarpanch hit the teacher. Congress MLA from Bholath Sukhpal Singh Khaira also criticised the sarpanch’s “shameful” behaviour and demanded that a case be registered against him. Meanwhile, the EGS Teachers’ Union burnt the effigy of the sarpanch
at Husnar Chowk here. Pritpal Singh, President, EGS Teachers’ Union said: “We are being pressurised into reaching a compromise with the sarpanch but we will stick to our stand.” Harsimrat, in a written statement, has condemned the incident. “The assault on a woman by any functionary is not acceptable, whatever may be the provocation. Necessary action will be taken against the guilty,” she said. When contacted, Gurdev Kaur Sangha, Chairperson, Punjab State Commission for Women, she said: “So far we have not received any complaint. But in case a complaint is filed, we will definitely investigate the matter.” The EGS teachers had gone to Daula village yesterday to hand over a memorandum to Harsimrat. The teachers, who are demanding regular jobs, have been holding protest demonstrations since November 29.
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Sarpanch booked
Chandigarh, December 5 An official spokesman said nothing could justify assaulting a woman, no matter how grave the provocation was. The IG (Zonal) had been asked to inquire into the incident and submit a report at the earliest, he added.
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Seeking death penalty for Hawara, CBI moves SC
Chandigarh, December 5 Information available from Delhi suggests the Supreme Court Bench of Justice BS Chauhan and Justice Tirath Singh Thakur issued notice to Hawara on CBI’s plea claiming that the offence falls under the category of “rarest of rare” cases. Additional Solicitor-General Harin P Raval said: “We are pressing for death penalty on the grounds that the case falls under the category of ‘rarest of rare’. It was the most serious offence where 17 persons were killed, including the Chief Minister of a state and 15 were injured. “The role of Balwant Singh (a co-assassin) was lesser than that of Hawara. This man was the kingpin who planned the entire conspiracy,” Raval said. Hawara was branded as an “organiser of a heinous crime”, but the death penalty awarded to him by the trial court in the Beant Singh’s assassination case was commuted to life by the High Court. But, he was ordered to remain behind bars till his last. Other convicts, Lakhwinder Singh, Gurmeet Singh and Shamsher Singh, were directed to continue to serve life imprisonment. The Bench of Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Justice Arvind Kumar, in its judgment, had observed Hawara was merely a tool in the hands of the prime conspirators and was not even present in the city when the blast took place. On the other hand, Balwant Singh’s refusal to defend himself and his confessional statements led him to the scaffold. “Without having any evidence in favour of Balwant Singh to go into, so that we can have a second thought on the murder reference of Balwant Singh, coupled with his three confessional statements, there is no other alternative with us but to confirm the findings of the trial court,” the Bench had ruled. Speaking for the Bench, Justice Gill asserted: “The case of Hawara does not fall within the parameters of the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in Machhi Singh versus State of Punjab. But we are conscious of the fact that a gruesome murder of the former Chief Minister, along with 16 others, had taken place and Hawara was the organiser of the heinous crime…. The case of Hawara is a borderline case for death sentence to be awarded”.
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Free electricity bankrupting power corporation
Chandigarh, December 5 The Cabinet has approved 100 units per month free power to landless labourers, bringing another five lakh persons under this facility. Nine lakh SC and below poverty line (BPL) families are being provided 100 units of power free per month. Ten lakh agriculture consumers enjoy free power for their agricultural pump sets. This has resulted in a huge subsidy bill that the government has to pay each month to the electricity utility. Free power to the agriculture sector and to SC and BPL families costs the state Rs 349 crore per month. Free power to landless labourers will cost it Rs 150 crore per annum. The state is virtually robbing its own electricity utility by refusing to pay it full subsidy in cash as decreed by the State Power Regulatory Commission. The government has made paper adjustments of more than Rs 4,000 crore against outstanding loans in the past four years. The liability of bonds worth Rs 980 crore issued by the government has also been placed on the power utility. While the government paid PSPCL Rs 249 crore on account of subsidy after deducting electricity duty for the subsidy due for October, it took back Rs 140 crore from the corporation on account of electricity duty. Paper adjustment of subsidy as well as irregular payments are leading to a financial crisis in the PSPCL which is forced to go in for short-term borrowings to purchase power. These borrowings are invariably disallowed by the regulatory commission, leading it into a debt trap. The PSPCL faces a cumulative loss of Rs 11,000 crore and is finding it increasingly difficult to borrow money with public sector banks refusing loans. Despite the situation, there is no recovery plan in sight. There is a feeling that the free power facility started by the SAD-BJP government in 1997 is here to stay. Even the previous Congress government led by Capt Amarinder Singh succumbed to populism and resumed the free power facility after doing away with it on assuming power in 2002. The BJP and former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal had spoken out against free power, but to no avail. In this race for populist schemes, the government seems to be impervious to the environmental crisis looming over the state. Free power has led to an increase in the number of pump sets (11.5 lakh). In 2000 there were only 7.7 lakh pump sets. As many as 105 of the 140 blocks in Punjab are in the red zone with the ground water going down steadily. The government has failed to come out with any incentive for the optimum use of tube wells or create conditions to make its oft-repeated call for diversification succeed. News Analysis
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Dev’s village has hazy memories of the star
Gharota (Gurdaspur), December 5 “Dev Sahib, like a falling star, has disappeared into the darkness forever,” he said, his voice quivering. Locals said the ancestral house of the Anand family in this hamlet, 22 km from Gurdaspur, was sold for a pittance by the film icon’s father, the affluent advocate Pishori Lal, several decades ago. The family then moved to nearby Gurdaspur where they lived on rent at the busy Amaamvara Chowk in the heart of the city. Senior Advocate Balraj Mohan, a close friends of Dev Anand’s father, said: “Dev was a reticent person. He studied at the government boys’ school near the old bus stand. His mother was a dignified and deeply religious lady. His father was a leading lawyer of Gurdaspur, whose sole endeavour in life was to provide first-grade education to his children. “I started my practice in 1968 and it was then when I first met Pishori Lal. He was fond of cigarettes and had a good command over Persian and Arabic. He was fond of reciting Urdu poetry to his sons Manmohan Anand, Chetan Anand, Dev Anand and Vijay Anand. Barring the eldest Manmohan, who became an advocate, the other three went on to make a name for themselves in tinsel town.” Said lawyer Pushkar Nand, Dev Anand’s distant kin: “During the summer vacations, Pishori Lal would rent a small cottage owned by an Englishman (Robinson) in Dalhousie and the family would stay there.” Dev Anand did his FSc from Government College, Dharamsala, and his graduation from Government College, Lahore, with English Honours. The actor was very close to his mother, recalled a Gharota resident. “Once she developed TB and Dev, accompanied by a friend, would daily travel to Amritsar, 40 km away, on a bus to buy medicines for her till she finally recovered.” Local residents said the last time Dev Anand visited Gurdaspur was to attend the last rites of Manmohan, then chairman of the Punjab Khadi Board, in October 1971. After that the actor severed all ties with his native town. One of the actor’s best friends, 90-year-old advocate Sukhdev Aggarwal, tried to speak about him but was overcome by emotion.
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Cong yatra culminates in Bathinda
Bathinda, December 5 Amrinder touched the issue while addressing both rallies, one here and the other at Jhunir in Mansa, apparently because the Dera politics plays a significant role in the elections. He said those involved in these attacks would not be spared. The police personnel who allowed these riots to take place would also face the music. He said that in the democracy any individual or group had the right to vote in favour of the party of his choice and no one had any business to retaliate against them in the hostile manner in which the Akalis did after coming to power. He accused Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of using arm-twisting methods and forcing Manpreet Badal’s supporters to rejoin his Akali Dal. Amrinder condemned the shameful incident of a lady teacher being slapped by an Akali sarpanch in presence of the Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal in Gidderbaha on Sunday. He ridiculed the Parkash Singh Badal for denying that all his life he had never resorted to vendetta or registered false cases against political opponents. He pointed out; about fifty thousand Congress workers have been falsely implicated in various cases. “Leave apart the Congress workers, they have not even spared the educated youth who were demanding jobs and have recently booked about 130 veterinarians for attempt to murder after being beaten up just because they tried to meet Badal for seeking jobs.” Other senior SAD leaders in Bathinda had also beaten women teachers and no action was taken against them. Maintaining that the Badals had pushed the economy to bankruptcy, he said, the state did not have any money even to make payments under various welfare schemes. "Even the employees were not being provided their dues at the time of retirement", he disclosed. Amrinder asked the Congress activists not to remain mute spectators to the highhandedness of the Akalis and retaliate if they try to intimidate the common people particularly during the elections. The rally at Batala had been postponed due to the death of a senior party leader of that area Santokh Singh
Randhawa. The Congress incharge for Punjab, Gulchain Singh Charak, called for ending the “misrule and lawlessness” that the state has seen during the last five years. Moreover, the Congress activists have borne the brunt of the atrocities and now was the time to heal their wounds. CLP leader, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal ridiculed the demand for honouring Parkash Singh Badal with Panth Rattan. “He should better be declared the traitor of the panth,” she said in the rally at Jhunir. She did not come here to attend the rally. Among others who spoke on the occasion were, the CWC member Jagmeet Singh Brar, Raninder Singh, local MLA Harminder Singh Jassi and a former minister Surinder
Singla. Highlights
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Sukhbir takes on Capt over development
“During his tenure as Chief Minister, Amarinder could not initiate even a single development project. He is not expected to do any miracles if given another term,” said Sukhbir while speaking on the sidelines of a religious function at a dera at Kanha Dhesian village today. Sukhbir said, “Amarinder has no time for people as he keeps himself busy in ‘extra-curricular’ activities. What we can expect from a chief minister who has no time to meet his MLAs”. Asked about the finalisation of SAD candidates for poll, Sukhbir said the party would soon take a call on this.
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PPP chief ‘unaffected’ by defections
After resigning from the post of Finance Minister, I am still facing all kind of odds, but they could not bear it even for a month”. About the slapping incident at Daula village in Gidderbaha yesterday, he said the administration, especially the police, was working on the orders of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. “Yesterday's incident is very painful,” he said. Bhagwant Mann also criticised the CM and Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal for “their hunger for publicity”.
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PPP promises to recover money laundered by politicians, bureaucrats Abohar, December 5 Comedian turned politician Bhagwant Mann who addressed huge crowd in the presence of Chief Minister's younger brother Gurdas Singh Badal and estranged nephew Manpreet Singh Badal devoted major part of his hard-hitting speech during the PPP's rally at the grain market in village Ghallu today. PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal promised to get all the money-laundering politicians and officers booked and recover the money if the PPP comes into power after the Assembly elections. CPI senior leader Joginder Dayal criticised ruling Badals and PCC president. Senior PPP activist Surinder Saluja conducted the proceedings.
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Pre-election sops for govt staff continue
Chandigarh, December 5 According to the notification, all inspectors, sub-inspectors, assistant sub-inspectors, head constables and constables in the Punjab Police in regular service would be entitled to an additional increment with effect from December 1, 2011. The pay scale of junior engineers has been revised to Rs 10,300-34,800 with grade pay of Rs 4,800 and initial pay of Rs 18,250. The scale of patwaris has been revised to Rs 10,300-34,800 with Rs 3,200 as grade pay and initial salary of Rs 13,500. The pay band of kanungo has been revised to Rs 10,300-34,800 plus Rs 3,600 grade pay with initial pay of Rs 14,430. The scale of gram sewaks has been revised to Rs 10,300-34,800 with Rs 3,200 as grade pay and initial salary of Rs 13,500. Meanwhile, the Punjab Technical Staff Association has alleged that the government had forgotten 90 per cent of the technical employees whereas 10 per cent of the ministerial staff had been given pay hikes.
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Drug mafia active in Punjab jails, says DGP
Patiala, December 5 The DGP was here to attend a function of release of a music album by Dharamveer Dhaliwal, a jail inmate serving life imprisonment. Shahsikant said numerous jail officials were under the scanner for their role in helping drug mafia. “We are keeping a check on such elements. A team of United Nations of Drug Control (UNDC) will hold counselling sessions for inmates soon,” he stated. “We will recruit more staff to overcome all such problems and a proposal to recruit 1,000 staffers is in the process. Besides, mobile jammers will also be installed,” he stated. Speaking on the issue of recent violence in Kapurthala Jail where two deaths were reported and psychotropic drugs were recovered later, the DGP assured that a time-bound inquiry was already on in the matter and the role of insiders had also cropped up. “We will not allow the guilty officials go scot-free,” he said. Later, Shashikant met jail inmates and heard their grievances and assured them that their problems pertaining to proper upkeep inside the jails would soon be solved.
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Ailing hippo: Admn fails to take action against circus
Patiala, December 5 Following media reports on the condition of ailing hippo and other animals kept in the circus in alleged violations of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The Punjab wildlife department had sent a report to the Patiala DC, almost a week back in this regard. “Our report for an action is already with the DC from the past over a week, but we have not got anything from his side till date”, claimed Patiala DFO Ashwani Kumar. “We can check the status of wild animals and their upkeep, while rest of the matters are decided by the DC”, he added. When contacted Patiala DC Vikas Garg told TNS that the file sent to his office by the wildlife department was yet to be put up from past some time. “I had asked the SDM, Patiala, to send a detailed report on the condition of animals in the circus and I would certainly look into it,” he added. On why the action was delayed, Garg said due to strike, the process got delayed. Interestingly, the Patiala DC, who is the competent authority to act against any such violations, had inaugurated the same circus in November and was the chief guest.
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Three months on, ZP teachers yet to receive relieving letters
Patiala, December 5 The ZP authorities had alleged that if these teachers were shifted, their schools would suffer a lot due to shortage of teachers. One of the selected teachers said, “They have been playing hide and seek with us for the past three months. Whenever we ask them, they say it would be done very soon. The government has already conducted the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and the result has also been declared. They can easily appoint teachers to replace us.” Another teacher alleged that the government had backtracked time and again after giving assurance that they would be brought under the Education Department. “The authorities always say that our shifting is under process and it would be done soon. With just few days left for the election code of conduct to come into force, I think the government is waiting for the next assembly elections and then decide what can be done in our case," she added. When contacted, DEO (Elementary) Balbir Kaur Gill said the procedure was under process. There was a slight delay due to a court case regarding number of reserved seats for different categories, as the teachers demanded that the shifting should be done solely on the basis of merit, she added.
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Traffic violators still pay fines in district court
Fatehgarh Sahib, December 5 Prem Singh Saini, DTO, expressed his helplessness over the issue and said he had written to the police several times, but it had yet to respond. RS Khatra, SSP, said he had not received any communication from the DTO in this regard. He said he would look into the matter and sorted it out at the earliest. — OC
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HC upholds setting aside of lecturers’ selection
Chandigarh, December 5 The directions came on an appeal filed by Babita Rani against Punjabi University, Patiala, and other respondents. In her appeal placed before the Bench of Justice Permod Kohli and Justice Tejinder Singh Dhindsa, Babita Rani had challenged the Single Judge’s order dated August 23. The Judge had set aside the selection to the post of lecturers in physics. Directions were also issued to conduct a selection process afresh. An advertisement for filling three posts was issued on August 4, 2008. As many as 52 applications were received. After short-listing, 28 candidates were called for an interview conducted on October 22, 2009. The Bench observed: “The admitted position of fact is that the selection to the posts of lecturer in physics was done solely on the basis of interview…. “We find that in the present process of selection conducted by the respondent university for purposes of appointment to the post of lecturers in physics which was based solely on the performance in the interview, no criteria has been followed, no grading of the candidates has been done and as such, it is not discernible as to on what basis the inter se merit of the candidates has been determined…. “On a pointed query, counsel for the appellant has very fairly stated that the criteria if at all adopted was only for purposes of short-listing and not at the stage of main selection i.e. before the interview committee. “We are of the considered view that it was incumbent upon the interview committee to have assessed and adjudged all candidates appearing before it in terms of reasonable and relevant parameters in the nature of qualifications possessed, work experience, research, publications, participation in conferences, workshops, seminars etc. “Nothing of the sort has been done by the interview committee while conducting the interview…. Suffice it to say that such a process of selection does not inspire any confidence at all”. Dismissing the appeal, the Bench added: “The selection process under question as such cannot be sustained. We find no basis to interfere with the impugned judgment dated August 23. The appeal is, accordingly, dismissed”.
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Under debt, farmer ends life in bank at Abohar
Abohar, December 5 In his three-page suicide note, Vinod Kumar Yadav has accused the bank officials of not sanctioning him a loan that they had “promised” earlier. The farmer, in the note, claimed that a few bank officials had assured him a Rs 50 crore loan and that he was told to deposit a certain percentage of the amount, which he arranged by selling his agricultural land and taking loan from private lenders. But later, he claimed, the bank officials “started dilly-dallying on the loan, thus, forcing him to take the extreme step”. The bank officials concerned, however, have refuted the allegations. ASI Baldev Singh said the body had been sent for a post-mortem examination.
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Cattle thieves crush cop to death
Fatehgarh Sahib, December 5 Residents of the village said, “Gangs of cattle thieves are active and regularly come to villages to steal cattle. They have been informing the police regularly, but of no use and ultimately they have to protect their cattle themselves.” They said that last night at about 1AM when the gang entered their village, Jaswant Singh noticed their suspicious activities and raised an alarm and villagers ultimately surrounded them near the gurdwara. In order to escape, the thieves drove their truck very fast and in the melee, three persons were crushed. Jaswant Singh died on the spot, while two others were seriously injured.
— OC
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Pannu Special Principal Secretary
Amritsar, December 5
Jalandhar, December 5
Malout, December 5