B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Action against two docs for helping prisoner
Civil surgeon, police at loggerheads 
Faridkot, February 27
Days after the District and Sessions Judge and the SSP Faridkot started proceedings to initiate legal action against two government doctors for giving ‘undue' favour to a jail inmate on frivolous medical grounds, it is not only the Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association, a doctors' body which is opposing the action, but also the Civil Surgeon, Faridkot, who has set the police inquiry aside.

Scholars dwell on literature, history & culture
Abohar, February 27
Eminent scholars from the Panjab University, Panjabi University, Guru Nanak Dev University, Central University, Maharishi Dayanand University (Rohtak) and Maharaja Ganga Singh University (Bikaner) sought to convey that the literature does not stand isolated. They asserted during the UGC-sponsored national seminar at the DAV College here that literature can't be separated from history and culture dominance or recessive and requires an interdisciplinary approach for its further analysis.

Inter-dist gang of transformer thieves busted
Fazilka, February 27
Fazilka police have busted an inter-district gang of thieves specialised in stealing transformers installed in the fields of farmers. They are said to be involved in taking away valuable material involving over 150 transformers.

Action against two docs for helping prisoner
Civil surgeon, police at loggerheads 
Balwant Garg/TNS

Faridkot, February 27
Days after the District and Sessions Judge and the SSP Faridkot started proceedings to initiate legal action against two government doctors for giving ‘undue' favour to a jail inmate on frivolous medical grounds, it is not only the Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association, a doctors' body which is opposing the action, but also the Civil Surgeon, Faridkot, who has set the police inquiry aside.

Giving a clean chit to the suspected doctors, in a letter to the Director, Health and Family Welfare Department Punjab, the Civil Surgeon, Faridkot, wrote that the allegations levelled by the SSP Faridkot against the doctors were unfounded and baseless.

Earlier, after an inquiry by the SSP Faridkot found two doctors guilty of helping an inmate of Central Jail in Faridkot by admitting him to the civil hospital for five days on ‘fake and frivolous’ medical grounds, the District and Sessions Judge, Faridkot, had directed the Civil Surgeon to take administrative action against the erring doctors. The judge also directed the police to take necessary legal action against the doctors.

However, in a letter to the director, health and family welfare, Civil Surgeon Tejwant Singh said the police inquiry report was solely based on police observation.

Even before the SSP sent this ‘partial’ inquiry report to the District and Sessions Judge for necessary action, the opinion or comment of the civil surgeon office was not sought, said the Civil Surgeon.

After the SSP’s inquiry against the doctors held them guilty, the civil surgeon’s office also constituted a team comprising the District Health Officer (DHO) and administrative officer of district jail, said Tejwant Singh.

Setting aside the SSP’s investigation against the doctors, the Civil Surgeon’s team found the police allegations against the doctors unfounded.

“The allegations of the doctors favouring the jail inmate could not be proved in this inquiry,” said the civil surgeon. So no action is required against the doctors, the civil surgeon wrote to the director, health and family welfare.

Even in a memorandum submitted to the district police, the members of PCMS Association said that as per Supreme Court directions, civil surgeon, specialists and lawyers should be associated during the inquiry process against doctors before finalising it but no such process was adopted in the present case, said Dr Chander Sekhar, district president, PCMS Association.

However, when the police and doctors are on the opposite side, the police have moved the case before the district attorney for legal opinion for registration of cheating and corruption case against the two doctors — Vishavjeet Singh, an orthopaedic surgeon at the civil hospital in Faridkot and Darshan Kumar, a jail doctor.

Scholars dwell on literature, history & culture

Abohar, February 27
Eminent scholars from the Panjab University, Panjabi University, Guru Nanak Dev University, Central University, Maharishi Dayanand University (Rohtak) and Maharaja Ganga Singh University (Bikaner) sought to convey that the literature does not stand isolated. They asserted during the UGC-sponsored national seminar at the DAV College here that literature can't be separated from history and culture dominance or recessive and requires an interdisciplinary approach for its further analysis.

Dr Akshay Kumar from PU read the keynote speech. Dr SK Arora, principal of the host college, said culture dominates the language and the contents of literary works. The dignitaries joined the chief guest Dev Mittar Ahuja, former Director, Syndicate Bank in lighting the traditional lamp. Convener Varinder Setia delivered the inaugural speech, Sarika Goyal and Shefali conducted proceedings.

Dr Swaraj Walia (Patiala), Dr Anju Mehra (Rohtak), Dr Paramjit Singh Romana (Bathinda) and Dr Deepti Dharmani (Sirsa) and other educationists dwelt on the India hat was embedded in the novels. — OC

 Inter-dist gang of transformer thieves busted

Fazilka, February 27
Fazilka police have busted an inter-district gang of thieves specialised in stealing transformers installed in the fields of farmers. They are said to be involved in taking away valuable material involving over 150 transformers.

Police nabbed five of the 12 members of the gang and have also recovered 16 kg of copper wire from their possession.

The gang members are also alleged to have stolen copper wire and oil from about 150 transformers. — OC