The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Bandh passes off peacefully in Malwa region
Tribune Reporters

A saffron flag was seen hoisted at Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s house in his native village Badal on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Archit Watts
and (right) Protesters sat on the rail track near Jhoke Tehal Singh railway station and did not allow the Ferozepur-Fazilka DMU to move further for almost two hours. Photo: Anirudh Gupta

Muktsar, March 28
Normal life remained disrupted throughout the day, as a complete bandh was observed in Muktsar district following the call given by some Sikh organizations seeking clemency of Balwant Singh Rajoana, co-accused in former CM Beant Singh's assassination.

All shops, business establishments, banks, ATMs, private schools, petrol pumps remained close throughout the day.

Traffic on the national and state highways was also thin with buses of a number of private operators and state-owned operators being off the road, which caused major problem to the commuters.

The situation was almost similar in Gidderbaha and Malout towns.

Though huge security personnel were deployed to maintain a strict vigil, a number of people belonging to some Sikh radical groups rose pro-Khalistan slogans like “Khalistan Zindabad” on city roads. At a few places, they also forcibly closed some shops.

Moga: The day-long bandh passed off peacefully but disrupted normal life in the Moga district.

Interestingly, the Sikh protesters carried the posters bearing the photographs of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and Balwant Singh Rajoana, probably giving a new twist to the prevailing situation, in Moga, the home district of Bhindranwale.

The bandh remained peaceful at the district headquarters and other townships of Baghapurana, Nihalsinghwala, Dharamkot and Kot-ise-Khan in the district, said Chander Gaind, the officiating district magistrate.

Public transport was also badly affected. Schools, colleges and all business establishments remained closed throughout the day.

A local leader of the activists, while talking to The Tribune, revealed that the activists from the district would move to Patiala on Thursday morning.

The jathedar of Damdama Sahib, one of the highest temporal authorities of the community, would hold a meeting of the panthic outfits at Barnala and then they would proceed in a large group towards Patiala where Rajoana has been lodged in the Central Jail.

The bandh call was given by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of the Sikhs, which has been demanding clemency for Rajoana.

Faridkot: Barring minor and stray incidents of skirmishes, the bandh passed off peacefully in Faridkot today.

While all commercial and business establishments remained closed, the heavy presence of police force in the main bazaars of Faridkot, Kotkapura and Jaitu town of the district ensured that the youth members of various Sikh organizations do not disturb law and order.

There were minor clashes when some motor-cycle-borne youths, raising slogans, forced the local shopkeepers to roll down the shutters of their shops.

Fazilka: a complete bandh was observed in Fazilka town.

Private banks also kept their shutters down. Petrol pumps remained closed till 2 pm. Only chemists shops and the clinics of doctors remained open.

The main crowded bazaars including Cycle Bazaar, Clock Tower bazaar, Mahajan market, court road, Mehrian Bazaar, Sarafan Bazaar, Old Abohar road wore a deserted look.

Ferozepur: It was almost a curfew like situation in most parts of the town as all the commercial, banking and educational establishments remained closed.

Although, no untoward incident took place in any part of the district, still the situation remained fragile as an uneasy calm prevailed all over.

Stringent security arrangements had been put in place and all the sensitive areas had been virtually converted into a police cantonment. Though, most of the shops remained closed since morning, however, few of those which were opened were forcibly shut down by a group of people representing radical Sikh outfits.

Hundreds of people carrying saffron flags blocked the traffic at the railway overbridge connecting city and cantonment areas.

Rail traffic was also blocked at few places in this district. Several trains were reportedly running late as the protesters sat on the rail track on Ferozepur-Bhatinda section and Ferozepur-Fazilka segment.

Abohar: Scores of village Dodewala residents led by former Sarpanch Bhupinder Singh today blocked Malout-Seetogunno-Sriganganagar road, better known as Defence road, as near total bandh was organised in the sub-divisional Abohar town.

Activists of SAD (Amritsar) and other organisations including some girls assembled at Gurdwara Singh Sabha near Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk sporting saffron turbans and dupattas. They marched through the circular road and main bazaar ensuring closure of markets.

In neighbouring Sriganganagar, hundreds of Sikhs including women in large number from different parts of the border district organised protest march from Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh located on Padampur road while no bandh was observed there. — (Inputs from Archit Watts, Kulwinder Sandhu, Balwant Garg, Praful Chander Nagpal, Anirudh Gupta and Raj Sadosh)

Saffron flag at CM’s residence in Badal village

Badal: Going by the call of Akal Takht to all Sikhs, a saffron flag was also hoisted at Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's residence in his native village Badal today. — TNS

SAD (A) chief, 15 others held in Bathinda
Gurdeep Singh Mann/TNS

Bathinda, March 28
SAD (A) chief Simranjit Singh Mann along with 14 other party workers were arrested today near Kot Fatta village and were brought to Sangat police station. Some of his other associates were also taken to nearby Maur and other police stations.

National general secretary of the party, Gursewak Singh Jawaharke, while talking to TNS over the phone, said he along with the party chief entered Punjab through the border at Dabwali in the evening.

The policemen deployed at the Punjab-Haryana border chased them in police vehicles.

“We were supposed to meet Balwant Singh Nandgarh, Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib but were detained by the police. The cops forced our cavalcade of five vehicles to stop on the road and took over our vehicles," Jawaharke said.

He said the party chief has been detained at Sangat police station while he along with some others, accompanied by the policemen was taken to Maur police station.

"The policemen took us away gently and are yet to take our mobile phones in their possession," Jawaharke added.

Bathinda SSP Dr SS Gill, informed later that the SAD (A) leaders along with their party president have been arrested at Sangat police station as a preventive measure.

Meanwhile, police sources said all the suspected party leaders associated with SAD (A) and other radical groups too may be held as a preventive measure.

High licence fee results in no takers for liquor vends in Faridkot
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, March 28
With a target of selling eight per cent more liquor and earning 18 per cent extra in revenue, the excise and taxation department wants to earn Rs 41.16 crore more in the next financial year in Faridkot division.

But these targets of the excise department got a low spirited response today during the draw of lots for the allotment of the liquor vends.

Liquor contractors feel themselves under the burden of selling increased quota and paying 18 per cent more by way of licence fee in the next financial year in comparison to this fiscal. So, for many liquor vends in Faridkot district, there was no bidder or applicant today.

Out of the three urban units of liquor vends in Faridkot district, there was no taker for two units and out of total of 17 units in rural areas, four units did not find any applicant due to the high licence fee and increased target quota of selling liquor.

In Kotkapura, Faridkot, Sadiq, Deep Singh Wala, Kot Sukhian and Bargari units in Faridkot district, no liquor vend could be allotted today. So, the excise and taxation department is now reconsidering the license fee and liquor quota for the allotment of these vends.

Jaspal Garg, divisional excise and taxation commissioner, said the allotment of these liquor vends would now be made after permission from the commissioner, excise and taxation, Punjab. These liquor vends would be allotted before March 31, he said.

Against the earning of a total of Rs 226.25 crore in 2011-12 in Faridkot division, the excise department has the target of earning the licence fee of Rs 267.44 crore in 2012-13.

If in 2011-12, the target of selling total liquor was about 1.26 crore proof litres (PL) in Faridkot division, the department has now increased the quota to 1.36 crore PL for 2012-13.

As the liquor contractors fear they might suffer heavy losses with the increased quota and license fee, so they are showing less interest in liquor business for the next year.

According to highly placed sources in the excise department, due to the increase of the licence fee from Rs 146 per PL to Rs 179 PL for 2011-12, most liquor contractors in the area suffered huge losses.

These losses were more because it was an election year. Due to elections, the distillation of illicit liquor was without any checks, thus adversely affecting the sale of liquor.

Muktsar, Gidderbaha too draw a blank
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, March 28
Though the excise and taxation department today conducted a draw of lots for the liquor vends, yet no one came to participate in the draw in Muktsar and Gidderbaha towns.

GS Tiwana, Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Muktsar, said, "Now, we will seek the applications again for Muktsar and Gidderbaha, as no one came to participate in the draw today."

However, he said all other liquor vends in the district were allotted through a draw of lots and the entire exercise was videographed.

Robbery, vehicle lifting cases solved: Police
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, March 28
With the arrest of four persons, Muktsar police today claimed to have solved a number of cases of robbery and vehicle lifting in Muktsar and its nearby districts.

Addressing a press conference, Indermohan Singh, SSP Muktsar, said acting on a tip-off, four persons, who were planning to commit a crime and were wanted in a number of criminal cases, were arrested late last evening from Bhalaiana village. A stolen Swift Dzire car, a pistol, 70 live cartridges, a laptop and sharp-edged weapons were recovered from their possession.

Besides, seals of the DTO office and empty registration books were also recovered from their possession.

Giving details, the SSP said, "These accused were not new to crime as they were wanted in a number of cases registered against them in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh."

He added that the kingpin of the gang had been identified as Jawinder Singh, a resident of Nazam Wala, who was declared a proclaimed offender in a number of cases, while the others were identified as Gurbaz Singh and Tarsem Singh, both residents of Bura Gujjar village and Mandeep Singh of Malloke village, near Zira in Ferozepur district.

However, their one associate, namely, Gora Singh, a resident of Sukhna Ablu village, managed to flee from the spot, the police said.

The police said that during the investigation, the accused admitted that they had robbed a jeweler at Sukhna Ablu village recently.

"Apart from it, they also admitted having looted Rs 3 lakh from a house, three Swift cars, five tractors in Muktsar district and an Alto car in Moga," the police said. However, the recovery was yet to be made.

Veteran players bring laurels to Abohar

Abohar, March 28
Retired teacher-couple Gulshinder Singh Jassal and his wife Jaspal Kaur of Ekta Colony are among the five residents who have brought laurels to this remote town of Punjab in the athletic meet organised recently by the Chandigarh Veterans Association.

While Jaspal Kaur clinched gold in shotput and discus throw, Gulshinder Singh won a bronze medal in discus throw in the male category.

Parampal Jit Kaur (55), a physical education teacher in the Government Senior Secondary School here, has won a gold in shotput and silver in discus throw.

Ramesh Kumar (51), PTI at Government Senior Secondary School in village Diwan Khera has won a gold in discus throw and silver in shotput. Another physical education instructor serving in village Rukanpura Khuikhera, Dharam Pal (51), has won a silver medal in hammer throw and a bronze in shotput. — OC