Amritsar, May 10
In a shocking incident, a newly-wed woman was allegedly killed by her in-laws by making her drink acid. Rajwinder Kaur hailing from Baldana, Maharashtra, died in the hospital. Just five months into her marriage, her in-laws family allegedly forced her to drink acid because she failed to bring more dowry, her parents told the police. The inhuman act led to severe internal injuries and damaged her vital organs leading to her death at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital.

Nishan Singh, a resident of Wahguru village, Baldana district in Maharashtra, in his statement to Chheharta police said Rajwinder was married to Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Kot Khalsa area five months ago. He alleged her in-laws harassed the victim for dowry but she never told them about the torture. On May 8, he along with his wife had come to see their daughters when they came to know about the alleged mental and physical torture she was facing.

He said they told the accused that they could not afford to give them any more dowry but will try to fulfill their demands within few months. He said thereafter they went to meet their other daughter Jyoti. However, on way they were informed that Rajwinder Kaur was in a critical condition and has been rushed to hospital. They came back and found her admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital in a serious condition. He alleged her daughter told the family that her in-laws had forced her to drink acid.

n Tarun Kumar (13), a resident of Ekta Nagar, Chamrang Road, was crushed to death by a speeding truck near Taranwala Bridge late last evening.

Amritsar, May 10
The city witnessed two more snatching incidents in which two residents belonging to Mukerian and Khemkaran became the target. The first victim, identified as Narinder Kaur, was going towards New Partap Nagar on a rickshaw along with her son Harvinder Singh when unidentified motorcyclists snatched her purse near Reena Beauty Parlour in the locality.

She claimed that her purse contained Rs 1 lakh besides two gold rings weighing 20 grams, an ATM card and several important documents.

In the second instance, Prince Manchanda fell prey to snatchers. He alleged that one Suraj of Dholi Mohalla inside Sultanwind Gate along with Shekhar and an unknown person took him to firecracker market and snatched Rs 4,500 and two mobiles after threatening to kill him. Suraj and Shekhar were known to him.

He alleged that he along with Suraj and Shekhar had gone to Dheengra Hospital to buy medicines. The two accused met their third unidentified accomplice and later took Prince to Pataka Market. — TNS

Amritsar, May 10
Gurwinder Singh (20), a resident of Ranewali village in Rajasansi, was allegedly shot dead by another youth identified as Kuldeep Singh of the same village over an altercation last evening. Gurwinder died on his way to the hospital while the police claimed to have arrested the accused Kuldeep Singh.

The deceased along with his cousin Bikramjit Singh was working in their fields when he and Kuldeep Singh entered into an altercation. The matter was settled at the time and the accused went home. However, a few minutes later, he along with his friend Makhan Singh came back. Kuldeep was allegedly armed with a .12-bore rifle which belonged to his father Kashmir Singh, an ex-serviceman.

The accused challenged Gurwinder while alleging that he had illicit relations with his wife and that he will teach him a lesson. He fired at Gurwinder leaving him critically injured. The accused fled from the spot. Gurwinder was rushed to a hospital in Amritsar where he succumbed to his injuries.

Rajasansi police has registered a case under Section 302, 34 IPC and 25/27/54/59 of the Arms Act against Kuldeep Singh and Makhan Singh in this connection.

Harminder Singh, SHO Rajasansi police station, said raids were being conducted to nab the culprits who were absconding after the incident. He said further investigations were on to find out the exact reason behind the incident. The police claimed to have arrested Kuldeep Singh while Makhan is absconding.

With no drinking water supply in my home, our first task in the morning is to arrange drinking water from our adjoining colony where residents have installed submersible pumps
—Abhishek kumar, a resident of indira colony

Loose and naked electricity wires pass through our rooftops which is very dangerous. We are afraid to walk barefoot and even touch the walls when it rains. Our property values have declined because of this menace
—Ashok kumar, a resident of gulmohar avenue

Ill-planned sewerage manholes have made our life hell. We often meet with accidents due to these manholes, which are at least two feet above the ground level
—kartar Singh, a resident of aman avenue

There are no health services available in our area. Similarly, nobody has ever thought of establishing a school
—Daler singh, a resident of sandhu colony

Here, the park has no green cover. Garbage remains scattered around the bins. We have never seen the garbage collecting trolleys in our area
—vicky, a trader 

Amritsar, May 10
Speaking his truth had its pitfalls for legend playwright Saadat Hasan Manto. Not that it stopped from reacting to his reality. Controversies came along. A century since his birth, we remember him for his courageous expression.

Born on May 11, 1912, in Samrala near Ludhaina, Manto became one of those writers who challenged their social system and rose to fame. Condemnation also came along.

His writings reflected his convictions and mirrored the inner conflicts in the society's dark underbelly. If there was one place responsible for transforming a young Manto into an invigorating literary genius, it was Amritsar.

Manto's life and his works reflect his fascination with the holy city. Whether it was the narrow by lanes of the walled city or its people and customs, Amritsar finds a respectable mention in all his works. Whether it's his initiation to the literary world or his last works, his stories were never complete without a touch of Amritsari. His first story 'Tamasha' was inspired by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, an event that moulded his thoughts into a literary genius. “Growing up in the heart of the city near Kucha Vakeelan inside Katra Jiamal Singh, Manto got his education here and later went to the Hindu College. He spent most of his time wandering around the crowded lanes and bazaars of the walled city, his favourite spots being Sheikh Ghulam Sadiq Library which is now known as Moti Lal Nehru Library and small bookshops near the railway station. He was a man who grew up in the holy city, which at the time was a cultural and revolutionary hotbed. And so it is reflected in his early writings too," says historian Surinder Kochar.

His penchant for the city and its lifestyle was evident in his stories. His story Khol Do starts with the description of Amritsar and so does his short story 'San 1919 ki Ek Baat' based on the Independence movement and Jallainwala Bagh tragedy. "Lot of his stories like Swarajya, Toba Tek Singh and Shoda mention Amritsar and its people. His characters were inspired by the same people, dialects and customs. He might have found success in Bombay writing for films but his heart remained in Amritsar," says Naresh Johal, a collector and avid fan of Manto.

Manto may have found his inspirations in the city, but also received a lot of criticism. "Manto's stories were blunt and stingy, his language inspired by the local dialect. Many people considered his writings as vulgar and he faced a lot of criticism for it as well," says Surinder.

Manto's love-hate relationship with the city lasted post Partition when he moved to Pakistan. On his 100th birth anniversary, there is no memory preserved in the city the writer loved so much. "He didn't like it there but had no other option. Once he moved out of the city and country, his audiences too thinned," adds Surinder. "Apart from the house where he lived, we don't have any memorial of Manto in Amritsar. His writings too are not available or preserved and there aren't many things that can recollect his memory," he says. For the legend who immortalised the city through his writings, we need to do a lot more to keep his memory alive.

Amritsar, May 10
Late arrival of summer coupled with a hike in the cost of air coolers and air conditioners after the union budget has brought down their sales.

An air cooler dealer Gulshan Vohra said weather, inflation and a hike in the prices of raw material have contributed to the slump. He said he had not seen such a low sale of these items in the initial summer months for the past many years. He said 20 per cent sale of air-coolers was recorded in April last year.

He said there were many reasons which contributed to the fall in sales. Even then often rains and winds at night brought mercury down. It prompted many buyers to postpone their decision. He held a rise in the prices of iron and copper responsible for the hike in the prices of air-coolers.

Ashok Kumar of a store selling branded air-conditioners said a dismal number of buyers turned up this season to buy the units. He felt that high prices, late arrival of summer and a gloomy economic outlook contributed to the low sales this time.

A housewife Rajwinder Kaur, a resident of Mohani Park, said her family earlier planned to buy an air-conditioner but they shelved the idea after its costs increased.

Amritsar, May 10
The district body of the PCMS Association has condemned the alleged harassment of drug inspectors who had gone to raid drug stores in Bhikhiwind in Tarn Taran district. Drug inspectors of Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts had jointly raided a drug store in the previous week.

The drug inspectors had alleged that the shopkeeper and his supporters had illegally confined them inside the shop. They complained that the owners did not allow them to do their duty.

Dr Ranjit Singh Buttar, district patron of PCMS Association, said, “The PCMS Association condemns the treatment meted out to the health department officials.” He said the drugs inspectors had female team members and were accompanied by eight policemen. Inspectors alleged that though they had made a complaint against the culprits, but no action has been taken against them.

Dr Buttar said such indifference and apathy from the police and civil administration officials would demoralise the employees.

He said the PCMS body would take up the matter with the senior officials so that the culprits are punished and government employees can do their duty without any fear.

Amritsar, May 10
A 10 day-long programme on health, nutrition and fitness concluded at Khalsa College for Women (KCW) today. Organised by the home science department of the college, the programme was open for public. Its aim was to inculcate the sense of ‘nutritious food and fitness through yoga and pranayams,’ said KCW Principal Dr Sukhbir Kaur Mahal. She said in this age of junk food and lavish lifestyle, healthy living is only possible through the scientific way of cooking food, proper food storage and inculcating right food habits.

Students participated in large numbers and took keen interest in learning pranayams and various yoga asanas besides learning the healthy way to cook food. “It was a blend of food and exercise for a healthy life,” said Dr Mahal.

Students Rashmi, Harpreet, Vanita and Payal shared their experiences relating to the training programme.

The best features of the training were cooking steamed food, water therapy and positive energy through the yoga, said Dr Mahal.

Annual day function

Kendriya Vidyalaya (No 1), Amritsar Cantonment, organised the annual day function in Panther Auditorium on Thursday. Chief guest Col Manoj Kumar Sharma inaugurated the programme.

Tiny tots of the school’s primary wing presented a cultural programme. They performed folk dances of North India.

Col Sharma awarded the prizes to the students for excelling in the academics, sports and co-curricular activities.

Child Prize Conference

World’s Child Prize Conference was organised in Holy Heart Presidency School on Thursday. Students of Classes IX and X exercised their votes, choosing one among the three nominees- Anna Mollel from Tanzania, Sakena Yacoobi from Afghanistan and Ann skelton from South Africa, for the exceptional work done by them for the rights of the children worldwide.

Vijjisha Seth, Khushboo Sharma and Vansh Marwaha of Class IX presented a presentation showing the works done by these people. School Director Anjana Seth and Principal Vikram Seth honoured the students.

Addressing the students, the Principal said it is our moral duty to serve the humanity and see to it that no child is deprived of the basic fundamental rights.

New principal

Dr HS Sandhu, who retired from MBA Department of Guru Nanak Dev University, has joined as principal in Chief Khalsa Diwan-run Institute of Management and Technology.

Quiz contest

Four students of BBK DAV College for Women participated in the quiz and poster making competition organised on the occasion of World Red Cross Day by the State Red Cross at Tagore Theatre, Chandigarh. College’s Amandeep Kaur, a student of BFA-I, won the first prize for poster making. Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa awarded a trophy to the institution for fund raising.