Jalandhar, December 24
A small-time share broker was hacked to death by some unidentified assailants in a street sharing a boundary wall with Kesar Petrol Pump here last night.

The incident took place adjacent to a hotel where Deputy Chief Mister Sukhbir Badal was staying. The crime spot is just a stone’s throw from another hotel where top leaders of the BJP, including Nitin Gadkari, were putting up a day ahead of the Jan Vishwas Rally.

The entire police department was deployed to provide security cover to BJP leaders and the Deputy Chief Minister. The incident has raised many eyebrows as the assailants murdered Preveen Kumar Dhal, a share broker, in an area that was under tight security cover.

A passer-by noticed the body on the road and informed the Police Control Room. The police reached the spot but repeated calls to the 108 Ambulance remained unanswered, said residents of the area.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) HPS Khakh and ACP (Central) Naresh Dogra reached the spot and the body was sent to the Civil Hospital.

Khakh said that Preveen’s body was found on a road in front of his office. Preveen, a resident of Garha road, was a small-time share broker and was operating from a rented accommodation on the first floor of a building near Kesar Patrol, Pump. Preveen was out of his office throughout the day and the family came to know about the incident when his assistant Gautam made a phone call to his sister around 8 pm.

Preveen’s sister Sushma who reached the spot after receiving the information, said: “Gautam told me that Preveen had not come to the office today and it was the time to close the shop. You please call him to reach the office. Following this, I called up Preveen and asked him to come home for dinner.”

“Just 15 minutes later, I received a call from his phone and someone informed me that Preveen had met with an accident so you come to the Civil Hospital,” she added.

The police has registered a case of murder against unidentified assailants at the New Baradari police station. The police has also rounded up Gautam for questioning. The police has also recovered two mobile phones, Rs 20,000 and some other documents from the deceased’s pockets.

The body was handed over to the family after post-mortem this evening. Preveen was the only son of his parents was married almost five years.

BJP supporters raise party flags; and (below)

They even got their ‘show of strength’ videographed. Starting from the beginning till the end of the rally, supporters of leaders kept on standing in the front lanes, raising slogans and projecting placards.

This despite the fact that MP Navjot Sidhu kept on telling everyone time and again that they should settle down and concentrate on their leaders’ speeches.

Disposable glasses littered all around the rally venue on Rama Mandi-Hoshiarpur Road in Jalandhar on Saturday. Tribune Photos: Malkiat Singh

All leaders, including Ashwini Sharma, Kamal Sharma and others, kept on telling them to sit down and put their placards down, but they refused to do so.

Those who managed to remain in the front lanes included supporters of Batala leader Jagdish Sahni and Ludhiana West leader Rajinder Bhandari, with both seats having left undecided for swapping with the SAD.

Supporters of local leader Vijay Sampla, who is seeking a ticket from Jalandhar West, and Anil Joshi from Amritsar were also present in large numbers.

While supporters in the front lanes remained static, there was much movement in the crowd at in the last rows. Rather than sitting and listening to the leaders, many enjoyed langar of chana-rice distributed from lorries outside the venue. 

Jalandhar, December 24
Even as she was the only woman leader present on the stage for the BJP’s Jan Vishwas Maha Rally, former minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla remained ignored throughout the function.

BJP leader Laxmi Kanta Chawla seen all alone during the BJP rally in Jalandhar on Saturday. Tribune Photo: Malkiat Singh

Neither was she given a chance to address the rally, nor did any leader take her name as they greeted others from the dais. Chawla quietly sat in the corner of the front lane.

Even as she twice tried to talk on some issue with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, she perhaps was not attended to well because of disturbance from others also wanting to talk to him. Chawla was unceremoniously made to step down from the ministerial berth a few months ago as she had been facing dissidence from within the party. 

Kapurthala, December 24
Nostalgia prevailed on the concluding day of the three-day golden jubilee celebrations of the Old Boys Association of Sainik School, Kapurthala, which saw former students, teachers and principals reliving the old memories.

The day began with an assembly in front of the Jagatjit Palace which was followed by a visit to the respective houses of the old boys where they used to stay and an interaction session with the present students. In the evening the students were to gather for a camp fire followed by a sumptuous dinner.

While the teachers and the principals were seen glad to meet their students, the old students too left no chance to meet their former teachers without any fears and hassles.

Talking to Jalandhar Tribune, former principal of the school Lt Col RL Gupta, who served in the school from 1981 to 1984 said, "The boys were adventurous and pushing and they have lived up to the motto of this institution to make it big in life."

Sharing his experience with the schoolboys he said that since they joined the institution at a tender age and left the school at adolescence, the school holds a special place in their as well in my life too. "The boys were often caught red-handed going for 'Ganna (sugarcane) raids and kinnow raids'. And though they were punished but then you know boys are boys, they learn it the hard way," he added.

During one such incident, the boys, a majority of who were fond of sugarcanes raided a farm situated in the vicinity. "They concealed them wherever possible but were caught red handed and punished. But, after realising that the boys were fond of sugarcanes we arranged a sugarcane juice stall on the school premise, only on Sundays," he added.

Another former teacher, Jatinder Singh who was seen blessing many of his former students said, "I was the founding member of the Academic Staff and joined the school in the year 1964."

He added that even today the boys did not forget to meet me in the premises of such a great institution. "Today when I met some of my old students, I was vividly recalling the old sessions of lectures, sports events, their daring adventures and punishments", he said with a gleam in his eyes.

Recalling the old days, a former student, Col AD Singh said that the first person whom I met in the school corridor was the first house master of Modi Lal house, HN Tankha and the last house master of Patel house, Malla. "I just could not believe myself and eagerly met them with a childlike curiosity. It was as if I was back to my childhood and they too greeted me like a student", he added.

Col Singh said that he remained the chief school prefect (1961 to 1968) and was a privileged enough to get a separate room in the palace to stay. "I was surely the blue eyed baby of the house masters", he recalled, adding that no other student after him ever enjoyed such a luxury!

Even Air Marshal Anil Chopra was also so nostalgic that he especially pen down a poem recalling the lovely school days. "I read out the poem in front of a large old students, teachers and principals. And it was such a lovely feeling. I was enjoying every single moment", he added.

Another former student Air Marshal SS Dhanda who had come from Air Headquarters in Delhi said, "Today whatever we have achieved is courtesy, our world class education in this school. Had we not joined the school, we would have never attained such positions in the armed forces" he added.

Earlier yesterday, the events which marked the day were wreath laying ceremony at the 'Saikap Smriti Sthal", a motorcyclist stunt by the Army Service Corps, Bangalore, an air show and a cultural evening.