Ludhiana, April 5
The arrest of three killers of Moga DSP Balraj Singh Gill (46) and Monica Kapila (38), has brought major respite for the city police department.

The special investigation team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ashish Choudhary, who was being targeted for not solving the case, was beaming with a sense of achievement. The police was also at the receiving end for the character assassination of the duo. Though, from the day one, the police was suspecting the involvement of petty criminals behind the double murder, yet as the days passed the police began to lose focus and started probing contract killing and personal rivalry angle as well.

Besides questioning over 2,000 youths living in Hambran and the surrounding areas, the police grilled Sanjay Agnihotri, owner of the farmhouse, Narinderpal Singh, a friend of the slain DSP, and an Assistant Commissioner of Police-level officer for not sounding an alert on time.

Vandna Arora, a close friend of Monica, was also grilled by the police, as she knew about Monica's intimacy with the DSP, but she kept the matter under wraps.

The police was receiving brickbats from all quarters for failing to crack the mystery. The police had tried everything written in the criminology book, but success was eluding them.

Not only the city police, even senior officers posted in other districts, including, MF Farooqui, DIG (Ludhiana range), and team consisting the SSP, Jagraon, and the SSP, Khanna, were also conducting a parallel probe in the case.

Several police officials visited the farmhouse to collect evidences so that they could solve the murder mystery.

“The SIT team led by DCP Ashish Caoudhary deserves special appreciation. The team had burnt the midnight oil to crack the case. The officers had worked very hard to crack the blind murder mystery,” said Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh. 

February 1: Moga DSP Balraj Singh Gill and Monica Kapila killed at a farmhouse in Golf Link

February 2: DSP cremated, police launches massive hunt to nab the criminals

February 3: Monica cremated, husband and woman friend probed. DSP’s friends, cook and security guards questioned.

February 4: Police forms teams, visits Himachal Pradesh

February 5: Cars of Balraj and Monica recovered from two different locations

February 6: Police starts working on a theory of robbery killing

February 7: Massive combing operation launched in Hambran, Noorpur Bet and surrounding villages

February 8: Police allegedly rounds up few suspected youths with criminal background

February 9: 25 persons probed in the case.

February 11: Technical experts from Delhi called to crack the case

February 12: Hardeep Dhillon, Additional Director General of Police (Administration), conducts a meeting to check the progress of the case

February 13: ADGP visits the site where the murder took place and asks a volley of questions from the investigative team

February 14: Doctor, alleged to be the paramour of Monica and an acquaintance of DSP Gill, probed in the case. Found innocent

February 14 to 22: One-hour meeting of the SIT team, headed by DCP Ashish Chaudhry, conducted daily to discuss the development of the case

February 23: Two SIT teams formed to probe the case from different angles.

February 24: The case became more mysterious after it was discovered that another woman frequently rang up the DSP

February 25: Police launches fresh probe in the case to find out the antecedents of the woman who used to call the DSP

March 7: SIT regrouped to from a strategy. Fresh probe launched

March 18: SIT sends communiqué hinting Makhan Singh, main accused of Barnala ASI’s murder, had murdered the DSP and Monica

March 19: SIT takes U- turn, claims Makhan Singh has no involvement in the case

March 23: Ishwar Singh replaces Ishwar Chander as the new Commissioner of Police

March 24: Family of DSP meets The police Commissioner

March 25: Police Commissioner reviews the progress in the investigation conducted in the case

April 2: One accused questioned in connection of murder case. The statements does not corroborate

April 3: Intelligence team follows the movement of the suspect

April 5: Police picks up three accused on grounds of double murder. The trio confess to have killed Monica and the DSP

Ludhiana, April 5
Uneasy calm prevailed outside the slain DSP Balraj Singh Gill’s house located in Kitchlu Nagar here today. A few visitors, including some police officers, came to the house to break the news that the killers of the DSP had been nabbed.

The DSP’s family that was demanding a CBI probe into the double murder case, did not react to the development. His father was not available for comments, but Sham Singh Harika, his maternal uncle, thanked the police for nabbing the killers.

"The arrest of the trio has restored our faith in the system. As the days were passing by we had started thinking that the police would not be able to crack the case and it would be the central agency that could make a breakthrough,” said Harika.

Sukhminder Singh Grewal, BJP leader and a friend of the DSP, demanded capital punishment for the accused.

"The trail of the case should be conducted on a fast-track basis and the accused should be given harsh punishment,” said the accused.

One of Monica's relatives, requesting anonymity, said, “All was lost with the death of Monica. We not only lost Monica, but the stories of Monica’s affair with the DSP have ruined the family’s reputation. Monica’s husband went through a traumatic time dealing with such stories doing the rounds.”

Ludhiana, April 5
The murder case of DSP Balraj Singh Gill is riddled with unanswered questions, as the crucial evidences are staring into the face of the police department.The police was shying away to give further details on the pretext that the police was probing the case.

The accused including, Harwinder Singh, was working as security guard in Ayali Kalan, Pritpal Singh was a construction worker and Umesh was working as a videographer with a studio in the Clock Tower area.

Harwinder owned a pick-up truck on which he used to travel in the area to commit snatchings. Hassanji, the fourth accused, deals in sale and purchase of stolen vehicles. 

Ludhiana, April 5
The defeat of the BJP in the industrial capital of the state in the Assembly elections has taken its toll with many heads rolling. Owning moral responsibility for the defeat on all three seats in the city that the party contested, BJP district president Rajiv Katna has submitted his resignation. The development has led to intense lobbying by several aspirants who are keen to fill the slot.

Although, the state leadership of the party has yet to analyse the reasons behind the humiliating defeat of the party candidates in the city, especially when the BJP fared well in other parts of the state, insiders in the party attribute the dismal performance of the party here to factionalism and sharp divide among the ranks as well as senior leaders.

Sources in the party asserted that the BJP did not conduct the election campaign, at least in the city, as one cohesive unit collectively, and all the three high-profile candidates - former state president Rajinder Bhandari, former cabinet minister Sat Pal Gosain and sitting senior deputy Mayor Parveen Bansal, were working individually in their respective assembly segments.

"The district unit of the party, then led by Rajiv Katna, failed to properly coordinate the electioneering, and a few star campaigners that visited the Assembly segments -Ludhiana West, Ludhiana Central and Ludhiana North, where the BJP had put up its candidates, apparently failed to cut much ice with the electorate," said a senior party leader requesting not to be identified.

The party sources revealed that state party president Ashwani Sharma, had confirmed having received the resignation of Katna, a close supporter of former state chief Rajinder Bhandari, who unsuccessfully contested election from the Ludhiana West segment, but no further action had been taken in this regard so far.

In the meantime, there is virtual scramble among BJP activists to don the mantle of the district chief, and almost all the aspirants are mobilising their contacts among the state and central leadership. The names doing the rounds that could be considered as replacement of Katna include those of the two party general secretaries - Jatinder Mittal and Ramesh Sharma, former district president of BJP Dr Subhash Verma, former district president of Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha Kamal Chatley and senior deputy Mayor Parveen Bansal.

"The sooner the state leadership of the party decides the issue the better, as the government had already indicated that civic elections could be announced at any moment, now. "A party that does not have a district chief firmly in the saddle will do worse in the civic elections than the Assembly polls," observed a party activist.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, April 5
Extramarital relations, genesis of the Westernisation, have emerged as a major factor behind a majority of murders committed in the past. In almost every case either of the spouses had conspired with their lovers or paramours to get their partner killed.

Investigations revealed that incidents of marital discord had been on the rise in rural families in this part of the state. In a majority of the cases, relatives of the deceased and those of the accused had tried to project these as blind murders.

The records have revealed that in most cases marital discords were due to extramarital relations where spouses had been brutally murdered.

Gill Gurpreet Singh Sikand, Assistant Commissioner of Police, said, “Social evils, including drug addiction and male illiteracy had worsened the situation. The incidents could be curbed by sensitising masses about the causes and consequences of illicit relations. Besides launching a drive, political, social and religious leaders should step forward to check the evil among residents of their respective areas”. 

n The menace ruined at least two families of Ramgarh Sardaran village, with three men behind bars for allegedly killing Gurdeep Singh Sidhu, a cop posted at Batlana Chowki, Zirakpur. Sidhu was killed as he had allegedly developed illicit relations with wife of one of the accused.

n Mela Singh of Mangwal village in Sangrur district was allegedly killed by his wife Jagdeep Kaur with the help of her paramour Major Singh last year.

n Gurinderpal Kaur of Beer Rauke was accused of conspiring to get her husband killed with the help of her paramour Resham Singh, a truck driver of Jhande village. The suspect used to tie ‘rakhi’ on Resham Singh’s wrist to evade suspicion of her husband who ultimately lost his life as he reprimand his wife on discovering their relationship.

n Hapreet Kaur of Kadon village, mother of three, had allegedly killed her husband Paritam Singh by serving him drug-laced liquor and throwing his body into a canal.

n Kuldip Kaur of Gujarwal village in Ludhiana district, a mother of three children, connived with her paramour to kill her husband, Baldev Singh, who was brutally clubbed to death. To materialise her illicit design she had taken her husband to a gurdwara situated over a kilometer away from the village in wee hours on the fateful day.

n Kamlu of Raqba village and Manpreet Singh of Kanganwal were murdered by their wives.

Ludhiana, April 5
According to the recent notification issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), an individual or a Hindu undivided family, if his or its total income exceeds Rs 10 lakh , shall furnish the online return for the assessment year 2012-13 and subsequent assessment years.

The notification mentions that the return will be furnished in two forms, firstly, one will need to furnish the return electronically under digital signature and secondly, one will require to transmit the data in the return electronically and thereafter submitting the verification of the return in Form ITR-V.

In addition to this, for assessment year 2012-13, an individual and HUF having assets (including financial interest in any entity) located outside India; or having signing authority in any account located outside India will also be required to file their income tax return online.

A senior official from the income tax department said initially some discrepancies were found while filing of the return. "Some tax payees used to file their return in back dates which created problems for the department while assessing the returns. All these problems will be solved once the online return system is started. The date of filing the return will be uploaded automatically once the return is uploaded. This will help in streamlining the system," he added.

Further he said those who had accounts and assets abroad would also be required to file their return online. "This step will help in curbing the black money," he added.

Ludhiana, April 5
Gurdev Singh Sidhu, secretary (revenue), Punjab government, has asked the district administration to prepare well in advance for the flood season.

Highly placed sources in the revenue department, Chandigarh, said the secretary had sent a letter issuing instructions to the administration.

A senior official (revenue department, Chandigarh), on condition of anonymity, said Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari and his team had been asked to make arrangements for dissemination of information regarding flood warning received in the State Flood Control Room and convey it to the authorities concerned for taking appropriate measures.

“There are several points on which the officials have been asked to take measures. For example, the inventory of home guard jawans, police personnel, officials of revenue and other departments and ex-servicemen who can operate boats to rescue people, should be kept in the District Control Room. Besides, the administration has been asked to identify, in advance, the officials, who were to be entrusted with the responsibility of setting up/organising relief camps,” said the official.

The officials have been told that on receiving a red signal, population should be evacuated immediately from the area. Warnings through loudspeakers and other means should be given in villages. Boats and motor-boats should be kept in state of readiness to rescue the marooned people. Relief camps for evacuating people should be set up at predetermined sites. Adequate arrangements for food, drinking water, medical care and sanitation must be ensured in the relief camps.

“Apprehending the need of funds for the monsoon season, necessary proposal for search, rescue and communication equipment may be sent to the department by the district,” said the official further adding that work required to be executed like strengthening of embankments and cleaning of drains should be reported to the principal secretary, irrigation. 

Ludhiana, April 5
The Midday Meal Scheme being run in government schools seems to have taken a smooth path again after a five-month “crisis”. Debt-ridden teachers are now feeling relaxed after the release of midday meal grant by the state government. Most of the schools in the city were bearing the expenses. Some of the schoolteachers had borrowed Rs 1 lakh to continue the scheme. Moreover, a few had stopped providing the midday meal to students due to scarcity of funds. The education department stated that it had also released salary of midday meal workers.

Sukh Ram, a government teacher, said, “The department has released some funds for teachers who were running the scheme on their own. The government must release grants on time.”

Sandeep Singh, another teacher, said, “It had become difficult for us to provide midday meal to students without any funds. If the state government has initiated the scheme, it must put in efforts to continue the same.” Tarsem Lal, district in charge of the scheme, said, “The grants were released on April 2.” 

Mandi Ahmedgarh, April 5
Besides earning livelihood, they contribute share in fight against drug addiction by making literature and advertisement material on kabaddi available to youths visiting sports fairs.

Portraits, calendars, magazines and CDs highlighting achievements of prominent kabaddi players are sold like hot cakes during rural sports fairs. While portraits of Harjit Bajakhana, Kewal Singh and Ambi Hathur are displayed in offices of sports clubs to pay them tributes, fans of Mangi Bagge Pindia, Sandeep Lallian, Gurjit Tootanwala, Lakha Gajjipuria, Kinda Biharipuria, Soni Sanet, Deepa Baewal, Soni Dhodewala and Lalli Butahri not only purchase calendars for their own rooms with their photographs but present these to their friends too.

Jagjit Singh of Nabha, who had been selling the stuff for the past three years, said more enthusiasm was noticed after the organisation of World Kabaddi Cup in Ludhiana last year.

“Though we were not allowed to sell calendars inside the stadium, we sold calendars carrying photographs of prominent kabaddi players outside the stadium,” said Singh maintaining that the trend had continued later too. Singh earned Rs 5 to Rs 10 on sale of each calendar or CD. Jagrup Singh and Nirmal Singh Chahal, office-bearers of a kabaddi club, said more and more sellers had been approaching them for seeking permission to enter arena to sell their products.

Ludhiana, April 5
The Congress lost the Assembly elections to the SAD-BJP coalition not because the ruling alliance was any better or voters really intended to give yet another mandate to the coalition government, but it was the wrong selection of candidates that marred the prospects of the party.

These observations were made by several former office-bearers of the District Youth Congress in a press conference here today.

Party activists Varun Mehta, Sunil Puri Shammi, Kimti Rawal and Rajinder Nihala, who had gathered under the banner of Congress Workers Forum, said they had written a letter to All-India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi listing the major reasons for the defeat of the party candidates in the Assembly elections.

In the letter, the YC activists alleged that the party candidates were selected on conditions other than merit, and many of the senior party leaders in the state secured party nominations for their close relatives, kit or kin at the cost deserving and dedicated party workers.

“Without naming any particular leader, we have given instances of allotment of party tickets to brothers, wives or sons of the senior party leaders in place of other deserving party workers who had better chances of victory,” said Varun Mehta quoting from the letter written to the AICC president.

“Not only this, we have also demanded that hushed allegations of the money power playing a decisive role in the selection of party candidates be also probed,” Mehta added.

Khanna, April 5
The condition of a water tank-2, situated in Ward No 18, is so miserable that it is declared unsafe for human lives and no storage of water from the past five years in this water-tank. Due to this miserable condition of the water tank, the residents of the area are living under the threat of life and moreover, a school building is also near the water-tank and the students are always on the edge of risk and the water tank may collapse at any time.

A visit to the area and outlook view of the water tank revealed that the iron angles of the water tank structure are coming out and the nests of the flies, bats and other kinds of the birds are in the water-tank. The condition of the water tank is telling the story of its.

The area residents alleged that they brought the matter in the notice of concerned Municipal councilor, Jassal, but nothing had happened in this regard. Some area residents alleged that the miserable condition of the water tank was giving them sleepless nights they come out from their houses whenever they hear a loud noise thinking that the tank might have collapsed.

A shopkeeper of the area alleged that during the last rainy season a, a big piece of concrete fell down opon his shop and he has a narrow escape. But due to shortage of money he could not leave the place and lives under the threat of life.

When municipal councilor of the concerned ward was contacted in this regard, her husband Mohinder Pal Jassal said that from the past five years when he was the councilor of the area he brought the miserable condition of the water tank into the notice of the authorities of the Municipal Committee, Khanna from time to time but no body heard his problem. Jassal further alleged that he was the victim of the vendetta as he belongs from PPP while the committee is dominated by SAD-BJP, while before this the committee, was controlled by Congress and he was in the BJP. Jassal further alleged that the residents of his ward paying this vendetta with their lives.

Meanwhile, Vijay Sharma, a municipal councilor, alleged that three years ago, a tender regarding the demolishing of the concerned water-tank was brought as an agenda item in the municipal committee, Khanna, and it was passed. But ironically, it should be a matter of investigation that after passing three years, no work regarding the same started.

When executive officer, of Municipal Committee, Khanna, was contacted in this regard, he claimed that he was not aware about the entire matter and he would say anything about it after consulting the concerned officials into this matter.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, April 5
Getting their demands fulfilled is proving to be a challenge for the Sikh organisations, established for the rehabilitation of victims of the police firing on the "rasta roko andolan" agitators 29 years ago. The incident had left 22 persons dead, of which 12 were killed at Kup Kalan Chowk.

A decade ago, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had assured the residents and the organisations at the ‘Shaheedi Samagam’ at Kup Kalan Chowk that all their demands would be met. But these remain unfulfilled. The government had even stopped observing the day.

It was the fourth consecutive year, when the party in regime forgot to organise an official function and the residents had to organise functions on their own to pay tribute to those who had sacrificed their lives during the agitation.

Residents led by Hari Singh Jandiali, president of the Dharam Yudh Morcha Shaheed and the Peerat Parivar Committee regretted that the senior SAD leaders including the Chief Minister and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, had failed to keep their promises, made publicly ten years ago. They had assured the residents of the 24-hour power supply, expenses being borne by the state, to villages whose residents were killed.

Appreciating gesture of former minister Jathedar Tota Singh, Hari Singh maintained that some youths from affected families had been employed in some boards with his (Tota Singh) efforts.

The residents had also demanded the construction of memorials at the Kup Kalan Chowk and sub-division head quarter, for which a special executive officer of the then Chief Minister passed orders to the officials concerned on May 23 in 2000.

Bus permits, nomination to boards and committees, free connections and concessions on the extremist victim pattern were the other demands which were not met during SAD regimes, lamented committee leaders.

Iqbal Singh Jhoondan, Amargarh MLA, who attended some functions organised by kin of martyrs, today, assured to take up the matter with the Chief Minister and get their pending demands implemented.

Doraha, April 5
It was indeed a lifetime opportunity for a bunch of students of Green Grove School, who attended a Parliament session in the Parliament House, New Delhi. The students witnessed a live Lokh Sabha Parliament session, where they witnessed Parliamentarians voicing their opinions and answering queries.

Sukhmin of class XI said that she was elated to be seated in the Parliament House but the security check was too stringent. Gurjot Singh and Harnishan were highly impressed by Jaswant Singh, Sushma Swaraj and LK Advani whom they saw from close quarters.

“Getting into the Parliament House was tough but the whole lot came out astounded and completely mesmerised at the magnificent edifice that housed the law makers of the nation. This was a wonderful opportunity for us to visit the prestigious building where the whole country is controlled and the laws are made,” said Navera Jolly of class XII.

“It was a memorable and informative trip,” said Suresh Thakur, a PGT history teacher, who had accompanied the students.

Doraha, April 5
Panjab University has revised the rates of remuneration given to staff deployed at examination centres.

Dr Kuldip Singh, fellow, Panjab University, and associate professor of GNN College, Doraha, said due to the insufficient rates of renumeration, teachers avoided performing examination duties, which in turn led to severe staff crunch and hampered the smooth conduct of the examination.

“The university had presented a proposed hike in the Senate meeting held last month. But the hike was meagre and I had seriously objected to it, justifying thereby, that the income from examination is approximately Rs 54 crore while the expenditure incurred in the process was Rs 11 crore. If the university wants that the teachers should perform their duties without any complaint, it should give attractive renumeration to the staff,” added the Senator.

“The centre superintendent gets Rs 160, deputy superintendent gets Rs 125, assistant Rs 120, service staff Rs 50 and flying Rs 170. The university had proposed Rs 200 for centre superintendent, Rs 175 for deputy superintendent, Rs 150 for assistant superintendent, Rs 75 for service staff and Rs 250 for the flying squad. Rather,we as a committee, put forth our own proposal of giving Rs 350 to the centre superintendent, Rs 275 to the assistant superintendent, Rs 225 to the assistant superintendent, Rs 150 to the clerk, Rs 100 to service staff and Rs 400 to the flying squad,” stated the fellow.

“Not only this, our proposal of giving Rs 15 per answersheet to examiners for undergraduate papers as against Rs 11.80, Rs 18 for postgraduate papers as against Rs 14.60, Rs 15 for science practicals as against Rs 4.70, Rs 600 for paper setters of undergraduate classes as against Rs 266, Rs 800 for paper setters of postgraduate classes as against Rs 366, Rs 2,000 for evaluation of PhD thesis as against Rs 1,350, have also been accepted,” he said.

Khanna, April 5
Several residents of Inderpuri area Ward No 27 of Khanna blocked the vehicular traffic for sometime on the National Highway 1, near Lalheri road, today, against the opening of liquor vend in their area. Long queues of the vehicles could be witnessed in no time on both the sides of road. The traffic was restored only after an assurance given by the officials that the liquor vend will be transferred.

Pardeep Singh Bains, Tehsildar, Khanna, who also reached the spot, said that after the information about the jam on GT Road, he rushed to the spot. He revealed that the protesters hand over a memorandum to him in which they revealed their woes regarding the opening of liquor vend in their area. Tehsildar, claimed that he gave them assurance that the competent authorities will act properly and they will adopt all the norms to shift the liquor vend to some other suitable place with immediate effect.

Ludhiana, April 5
Anna Jal Sewa, an NGO, today kept their demands before Health and Family Welfare Minister Madan Mohan Mittal at Lord Mahavira Civil Hospital.

While submitting a memorandum, Shivram Saroy, founder of the NGO, said, “The newly constructed burn unit should be made operational soon.”

He said the hospital should have facilities for CT scan and MRI for road accident victims. — TNS

Phillaur, April 5
Two unidentified armed motorcyclist robbers snatched Rs 18,000 and one mobile phone, from a member of Fatehpur village panchayat, Kanta Rani, near Dalla village at gunpoint.