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MUNICIPAL POLL
Youth Cong prepares 3-tier strategy
Demand grows for more amendments in Sikh marriage Act
Arrested KZF activist confesses to getting training in Pakistan
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Ludhiana plunges into darkness
Defeated Akali leaders call the shots in Gurdaspur
Farmers told to test basmati seed before sowing
Anti-flood measures complete: Sekhon
40% rise in number of PMET applicants
Special teams to implement quota policy
132 residential colonies illegal in Muktsar
CLEAN WATER
Depot holders end strike
Softwares of I-T, excise depts to be inter-linked
Indecent videos
Pharmacists seek regular jobs
Towards crop diversification
4 held for threat call at refinery
10 kg of heroin seized
Retired DSP booked for negligence
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MUNICIPAL POLL
Chandigarh, May 25 At the same time, he warned against indiscipline and said strict action would be taken against all those indulging in anti-party activities no matter how senior they were. Responding to reports of possible change of candidates, he clarified the decision of the screening committees for all four corporations was final and irrevocable as the lists had been finalised after thorough consultations with all those who mattered. The PCC chief warned against any defiance and said anybody indulging in any sort of indiscipline will instantly be expelled from the party for six years. The Congress has also announced the remaining four Congress nominees for the Ludhiana MC elections. They are Sunil Mafiq from ward 1, Shayam Sunder Malhotra from ward 37, Mamta Ashu from ward 49 and Baljinder Singh Banti from ward 50. The Shiromani Akali Dal has also has announced the names of 12 more candidates for Ludhiana Municipal Corporation. They include Baljinder Singh Gogi (ward 1), Pal Singh Grewal (ward 10), Savinder Kaur Neena Grewal (ward 11), Surjit Kaur Dung (ward 47), Bhupinder Singh Bhinda (ward 56), Jaswinder Singh Bhola (ward 60), Rakhwinder Singh Gabria (ward 61; the seat was earlier allotted to Harbhajan Singh Dang), Jagbir Singh Sokhi (ward 63), Pritpal Singh Khural (ward 65), Manjit Kaur (ward 66), Ranjit Singh Ubhi (ward 67; earlier allotted to Inderjit Singh Gill) and Sarabjit Singh Garcha (ward 75). BJP chief Ashwani Sharma also declared four candidates for Jalandhar Municipal Corporation, including Manjit Kaur (ward 14), Joginder Kaur (ward 33) and Kanchan Sharma (ward 34).
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Youth Cong prepares 3-tier strategy
Ludhiana, May 25 Chaudhary said in the first phase, the Punjab Youth Congress (PYC) activists would distribute membership cards in each Assembly. "Already, 9.80 lakh youths have been enrolled as PYC members. In the next few days, the party would distribute identity cards to these members," he said. In the second phase, handbills would be distributed door-to-door to apprise the public of the people-oriented programmes and projects of the UPA government, he said. In the last phase, youth activists would hold street-level meetings to boost the morale of the party workers, he said. Refuting the charge that the party was ignoring its workers, he said the PYC had inducted 37,000 office-bearers at various levels across the state. "The concept of unit management has been introduced in the PYC, under which each office-bearer has been assigned a job with an action plan for every three months, which would be reviewed every month at each level," he said. Admitting that the Punjab Youth Congress had applied for more ticket for the MC polls in Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Amritsar, he said the most important criterion for ticket distribution was "winnability" of candidates. Chaudhary, who is also a member of the party's state-level screening and campaign committee, said his Ludhiana visit was aimed at mobilising the PYC workers to support the party candidates on all seats. He said to ensure a fair play in the ensuing MC poll, the Congress would get the entire poll process
videographed.
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Demand grows for more amendments in Sikh marriage Act
Amritsar, May 25 He said the Sikh clergy should form a committee, which should decide whether a provision for divorce should be included in the Act or the community should demand a new marriage Act. Former Rajya Sabha MP Tarlochan Singh has also written to the Akal Takht and the SGPC to jointly form a committee to thoroughly discuss further amendments in the Anand Marriage Act. Responding to their plea, the Jathedar said they will soon form a committee of Sikh intellectuals, which will deliberate on the issue, besides seeking views from all sections of the community. “We will decide on the future course of action once the panel submits its report,” he said. Apart from further amendments in the marriage Act, the demand for amendment in Article 25 of the Constitution, which clubs Sikhs with Hindus, is also raising its head. Former SGPC secretary Manjeet Singh Calcutta has shot off a missive to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which he raised the issue of Article 25 while appreciating the passage of amendments in the Anand Marriage Act, 1909. In his letter, Calcutta said, “The misunderstanding of Sikh identity arises from Article 25 (b) of the Constitution, which clubs Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains under the term Hindu. The Venkatchaliya Commission constituted by the Centre for the revision of the Indian Constitution has also recommended exclusion of Sikhs from the term Hindu. The clubbing of the Sikhs with Hindus is extremely unjust, unethical and illogical since Sikh religion is an independent religion and not an offspring or branch of any other religion.” He urged the PM to rectify this wrong by passing a “simple amendment”. All-India Sikh Students Federation chief Karnail Singh Peermohammed said that the amendment in Article 25 of the constitution is the only solution that will give Sikhs a separate identity.
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Arrested KZF activist confesses to getting training in Pakistan
New Delhi, May 25 Mathai said India had taken up with Pakistan the issue of continued support to Indian militants from across the border during the Home Secretary-level talks between the two countries, which concluded in Islamabad this evening. Parmod Bharti adds from Nawanshahr: The interrogation of two members of the banned Khalistan Zindabad Force, Sandip of Saifabad village in Jalandhar and Sukhwinder Singh of Rohanano village in Ludhiana, had led to the arrest of two of their accomplices. They have been identified as Lakhwinder Singh, alias Happy, of Bains village and Jagdish Singh, alias Deesha, of Malla Bedian village in Nawanshahr. The police had arrested Sandip and Sukhwinder a few days ago and recovered 2.7 kg of RDX hidden in Poonia village near Banga and Saifabad near Phillaur, two China-made pistols, three bombs, three detonators, two-timers and 11 cartridges. "During preliminary investigation it was found that Sandip had attended a training camp in Pakistan for a month last year. He, along with other members of the gang, have been trying to revive terrorism in Punjab by recruiting young boys for the organisation..The gang is reportedly active in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Nawanshahr districts. “Sukhwinder, alias Boxer, has a criminal background with 10 cases of robbery, snatching and smuggling of narcotics registered against him at different police stations ”, said police sources. The police has registered a case under Sections 121, 121 -A, 120-B of the IPC, Sections 17,18, 20 of Unlaw Activities ( Prevention) Act and Section 25 of the Arms Act at the Banga Sadar police station.
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Ludhiana plunges into darkness
Ludhiana, May 25 A senior PSPCL official said the fire started at around 3 pm and they were able to control it only at around 7 pm. A 100-MVA transformer worth Rs 5 crore was badly damaged in the fire. It took around four hours to douse the flames due to thousands of litres of oil in the transformer, he informed. After the incident, electricity supply to rural as well as urban areas was badly affected. The power supply to Gill Road sub-station and feeders such as in Ludhiana, Basant Park, Ferozepur Road, Dugri, Rajguru Nagar, DC Complex, Haibowal, GT Road, South City, Amaltas, Model Town, Hambran and Sarinh would be affected. MLA Darshan Singh Shivalik, who was present at the spot, said after he came to know about the incident, he rushed to the spot. “I informed officials of the PSPCL as well as police department. Police Commissioner Ishwar Singh assured that police officials accompanied by villagers would help the PSPCL as well as the MC fire department in controlling the fire,” he said. In a press release issued in the evening, K L Sharma, chief engineer, Central Zone of the PSPCL, said the repair work had started on war footing stage. “Due to this incident, power supply to a large number industrial connections, multi-complexes, shopping malls and other such places will remain suspended. Our staff is working hard to restore the electricity supply as soon as possible,” Sharma said. Meanwhile, an eight-hour maintenance shutdown on Monday at the 220-KV sub-station on Ferozepur Road taken by PSPCL had cost the power utility dear, as a CT transformer at its 220-KV Lalton Kalan sub-station burnt down due to load shifting and overloading all throughout the day. As a result, almost the entire city plunged into darkness. Not only this, even a new 100-MVA transformer installed at the 220-KV Ferozepur Road sub-station had also developed problems.
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Defeated Akali leaders call the shots in Gurdaspur
Gurdaspur, May 25 Gurdaspur Congress Committee chief and Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Batala MLA Ashwani Sekhri say that these MLAs are finding it difficult to get developmental works initiated in their assembly segments. Recently, former Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon, who lost the Fatehgarh Churian seat to Tripit Rajinder Bajwa, convened a meeting at his house where district officials were present in strength. Former Education Minister SS Sekhwan is on a foundation stone laying spree. The Akali MLAs have been designated as “ilaqa incharge” of the very Vidhan Sabha seats that they have lost, some by heavy margins. All postings and transfers are reportedly being done at their behest. If Sekhwan calls the shots in Charanjit Bajwa’s home turf (Qadian), former Agriculture Minister SS Langah holds sway in Dera Baba Nanak. Likewise, Akali leader Manjit Dala and BD Dhuppar of the BJP, who was defeated in Dinanagar by nearly 12,000 votes, manage the affairs in the constituency. Aruna Chowdhury is the sitting Congress legislator from there. In Batala, the SAD has appointed LS Lodhinangal as the ‘ilaqa incharge’ and handles day-to-day affairs. Interestingly, the government has provided just four guards to each of the five Congress legislators while Langah, Sekhwan and Kahlon have been given more than 12 guards each. “The local SHOs escort the vehicles of these former legislators in gross violation of norms,” claimed SS Randhawa. Senior Congress leader and former member of the Subordinate Services Selection Board Kanwal Bakshi said the practice of appointing ‘Ilaqa incharge’ should be stopped imediately and the “democratically elected Congress MLAs given their due place.”
Democracy Breached
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Farmers told to test basmati seed before sowing
Moga, May 25 The plantation of nurseries for basmati cultivation, as per past practice, is likely to begin from the first week of June.
The department has also cautioned the farmers to discard shriveled and discoloured seed carefully before plantation of nurseries as they may be infected with seed-borne pathogens, which may affect the yield. Last year, there were many complaints from farmers about lesser germination of paddy seed and the affected farmers had to re-sow nurseries, which meant extra expenditure. Agriculture scientist Dr Jaswinder Singh Brar has initiated a campaign to demonstrate germination test technique in Raunta, Bir Charik, Sandhuan Wala, Singhan Wala, Kahan Singh Wala, Kokri Phula Singh, Rode and other villages of the district. Dr Brar said the home test could be performed by counting 100 seed and placing them on a wet jute bag. “Place another wet jute bag on it to conserve moisture in a condition of normal warm location out of direct sunlight. After five days, count the number of germinated seed that have both an intact root and shoot,” he said. This would give an exact percentage of germination to the grower. “It is very important to choose random seed samples from the entire seed lot and if the germination is 80 per cent or above, the seed is fit for sowing,” he said. How to Do a home test
n
Randomly choose 100 seeds of a selected basmati variety and place them on a wet jute bag
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Place another wet jute bag on it to conserve moisture in a condition of normal warm location out of direct sunlight
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After five days, count the number of germinated seed that have both an intact root and shoot
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If germination is 80 per cent or above, the seed is fit for sowing
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Anti-flood measures complete: Sekhon
Chandigarh, May 25 "We will ensure that there is no loss of life and property in case of floods due to heavy rain. The remaining work of these projects will be accomplished within stipulated timeframe," said Sekhon while presiding over a review meeting of senior officers of the Irrigation Department today. He said the work on Centre-approved projects worth Rs 2,175 crore had allegedly been stalled due to fractured release of grant by the Union Government. Sekhon inspected the progress of various projects and instructed the officer of Canals, Drainage, Punjab Water Resource Management and Development Corporation Limited and Kandi Administration (all the wings of Irrigation Department) to achieve the target within set time period. He said no laxity would be tolerated in this regard. Sekhon said though the Centre had approved projects worth Rs 2,175 crore, Punjab had not even got the full first installment. He said he would call on the Union Minister concerned and urge him to release the grant immediately. Replying to the point of scarcity of staff raised by Chief Engineer (Canals), Sekhon said all vacant posts would be filled at the earliest. He instructed the Principal Secretary, Irrigation, to initiate process in this regard.
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40% rise in number of PMET applicants
Faridkot, May 25 There was a 40 per cent increase in the number of applicants for the PMET this time as compared with last year. For PMET-2011, as many as 8,759 students sat for the exam. The number rose to 11,647 this year. Last year, 2,194 students cleared the medical entrance test. This time, 4,144 students were successful. To clear the test, students in the general category need to score at least 50 per cent marks and those in the SC/BC category 40 per cent marks, said Sat Pal, Deputy Registrar, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS). The university conducted the PMET-2012 on May 20 to fill 1,070 MBBS and 1,190 BDS seats in various medical colleges in Punjab. As many as 3,362 students in the general category, 515 in the SC category and 267 in the BC category cleared the test. Punjab has nine medical colleges and 14 dental colleges. Last year less than 25 per cent candidates passed the test. This year the pass percentage is more than 35 per cent. Though the number of seats in the state’s medical colleges has increased since last year from 770 to 1,070 for MBBS and 1,090 for BDS, this increase is comparatively less than that in the state’s engineering colleges, said sources. The All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has decided not to approve new engineering colleges from the academic year 2013-14, said AICTE member secretary K P Isaac. “With private engineering colleges dotting Punjab, engineering education is getting reduced to a graduation course. People are getting into diverse fields other than engineering,” said a highly placed officer at Baba Farid university.
race to be a medico
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Special teams to implement quota policy
Chandigarh, May 25 The minister said it had come to his notice that roasters was not being properly implemented for promotions. The government had issued strict directions in this regard. Following complaints, the government had constituted five teams of officers, including those belonging to the Scheduled Castes.The teams would check registers once a week and submit reports with the Secretary, Welfare. The minister said that the heads of the departments concerned would be duty- bound to extend cooperation to the teams. The departments heads would be held responsible in case of any irregularity in the registers. He said that teams would procure details regarding seniority and the promotion quota. — TNS
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132 residential colonies illegal in Muktsar
Bathinda/Muktsar, May 25 The BDA officials, however, claim that they have initiated action against the colonisers in this regard. Sources said that 35 of the 36 colonies in Muktsar, 11 of the 12 colonies in Malout, 70 of the 72 colonies in Gidderbaha, all four in Mandi Bariwala, one in Doda and 11 colonies in Killianwali have been found to be unapproved. Most of such colonies are coming up on the outskirts of cities or on agricultural land, where no prior permission of land conversion has been sought by colonisers. BDA chief administrator Uma Shanker Gupta said, “We have issued a warning to all colonisers of unapproved colonies.”
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Clean Water
Chandigarh, May 25 The Chief Minister, during a meeting with Sinha in New Delhi this morning, told him that of the 8,500 tubewells-based drinking water schemes, 1,000 samples were tested recently. These were found with uranium levels in excess of the World Health Organisation (WHO)standards, which was a matter of grave concern. Badal urged Sinha to establish a water-testing laboratory in the state and suggest the best available technology to treat underground water to make it fit for drinking. Sinha was all praise for the Chief Minister for showing oncern at the poor quality of drinking water with traces of uranium and other heavy metals which was responsible for the growing the incidence of cancer in the rural areas , especially those in the Malwa belt. Sinha assured the Chief Minister that he would soon send a team of hydrologists to assess the problem in the state and suggest effective remedial measures. The Chief Minister was accompanied by Special Principal Secretary GS Brar and Principal Secretary, Health, Vini
Mahajan.
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Chandigarh, May25 An announcement in this regard was made by chairman of the Depot Holders Action Committee Gurjinder Singh Sidhu. An official spokesperson said a decision in this regard had been taken by the association of depot-holders following a meeting with the Food and Civil Supplies Ministe, Adesh Partap Singh Kairon .He said it was decided that the demands of the depot -holders would be taken up by Punjab with the Union Government. — TNS
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Softwares of I-T, excise depts to be inter-linked
Ludhiana, May 25 An official in the Income Tax Department said all the three departments were jointly working on the proposal. “If anyone tries to furnish wrong information, it will be easily detected,” he said. Meanwhile, the Department of Excise and Taxation, Punjab, has proposed to amend forms VAT-1, VAT-4, VAT-15, VAT-18, VAT-19, VAT-23, VAT-24 and VAT-56 and to introduce forms VAT-61 and VAT-62 in this regard. “These forms have been designed to be user-friendly and seek to capture all relevant information at the first instance, rather than calling a dealer to office repeatedly. This will help the honest tax payers to concentrate on their business without any interference in their day-to-day working and to a large extent, pre-empt the need for direct interface between the taxpayers and the officials,” said A.Venu Parsad, Commissioner, Excise and Taxation. Jatinder Khurana, a tax professional, said it was a positive step taken by all the three departments. “Generally, the department improves forms but at the time of filing the forms, the system does not respond which should be taken care by the department,” he added.
Suggestions invited
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Indecent videos
Patiala, May 25 Members of the Manch, Amandeep Kaur and Pardeep Kaur, alleged that despite repeated protests, the music industry was not paying any heed to their requests. “They do not seem to get our point that any indecency against women will not be tolerated,” they added. “We have held meetings in various villages of Patiala district and almost all the women were of the view that many singers these days were using obscene language and making indecent remarks against women in their songs. The top most names are Diljit Dosanjh, Geeta Zaildar, Gippy Grewal, Honey Singh and Miss Pooja,” she added. “Our sole aim of organising this protest is to convey a message to the entertainment industry that they cannot expect us to tolerate such indecent comments in the name of entertainment. We are totally against women being portrayed in a bad taste and have decided to raise our voice against each and every singer, who indulges in this practice for popularity,” added the Manch members. They also demanded a strict censor board for the music videos to ensure that the practice was immediately stopped.
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Pharmacists seek regular jobs
Patiala, May 25 Ram Singh, state convener of the committee, said despite years of service, they were getting Rs 7,000 per month. “The policy stipulates that their grade pay should be Rs 10,300-34,800-4,200, which means that their initial pay should be Rs 16,290 but till date, the government has not done anything about it,” he said. “Last year, the government brought us under the ambit of Zila Parishad with a year’s contract which is about to end on May 31 but there are still not talks regarding regularisation of our services,” he said. Meanwhile, no action has been initiated over the issue of expulsion of unqualified pharmacists. The Punjab Government had issued a letter on January 28, 2010, stating that all dispensaries must appoint qualified pharmacists.The Pharmacy Act, 1948 stipulates that upkeep and distribution of the medicines must be done by qualified registered pharmacists. “These unqualified workers do not possess proper knowledge of medicines and wrong medicines could be deadly for patient. But no one cares about the rural people,” added Rupinder Raja and Gurmit from Ludhiana. Tejinder and Sukhpal from Sangrur and Tarn Taran districts, respectively, said, “In case the government do not take any concrete step till May 31, then they will hold a massive state-level protest against it.” They informed that similar was the case with Class IV employees working with them who were getting Rs 3,000 instead of at least Rs 10,000.
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Towards crop diversification
Jalandhar, May 25 Soybean, the ‘Wonder Crop’ of the 21st century, is processed into more than 130 commodities for human and animal consumption. While the wheat-paddy cycle has become a burden with Punjab facing a wheat glut and major storage problems because of a bumper crop this year, soybean cultivation is likely to improve farm economy. It requires less labour and water and other inputs as compared to paddy. And with a growing worldwide demand, it is certain to result in handsome gains for farmers. “It is an irony that Punjab is producing excess foodgrain which is rotting due to poor transport and storage facilities and a faulty distribution system. It is time the farmers grew soya instead of paddy that requires a lot of water. “A group of overseas Punjabis have expressed their interest in investing in development projects in Punjab and to form a venture investment corporation. We are here to make an offer to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on their behalf,” said Satnam Singh Chahal and Dalwinder Singh Dhoot, president and chairman of the North American Punjab Association (NAPA), respectively. They said soy was the only viable replacement for paddy. Currently, India was importing 8.66 million tonnes of cooking oil to meet domestic needs. “Soybean cultivation and its processing in Punjab will overcome oilseed deficit in India. Dr PS Minhas of PAU, Ludhiana, also thinks that soybean is the best substitute for paddy in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh,” said Chahal. He said they were studying the viability of establishing a soybean processing plant in Punjab. Soy food products Advantages
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4 held for threat call at refinery
Bathinda, May 25 SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill said, "Four persons, including Pintu Yadav who called up the security incharge of the refinery saying a bomb had been planted on May 21, have been arrested. The SSP said, "The SIM, which was used to make the phone call to the refinery official has been seized. It has also been found that some man sold SIMs to them without getting any proof of their identity." He said that the raids were still on to arrest their more accomplices. Talwandi Sabo DSP Parminder Singh said, "I am still conducting raids in villages along with the informer. So, at the moment it is not possible to reveal the identity of all those arrested." Meanwhile, scanners were installed at all entry points of the refinery so that the information of all persons, vehicles entering or leaving the refinery could be noted down for security purposes.
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10 kg of heroin seized
Rorawala (Attari), May 25 The contraband was thrown out of a goods train that arrived from Pakistan. The BSF troops immediately sounded the higher officials but the smugglers could not be nabbed.
Sanjiv Bhanot, DIG, BSF, said at about 12.30 pm, when the goods train carrying cement had entered 2 km inside the Indian territory, the mounted force of the 163rd battalion of the BSF heard the sound of some object hitting the ground. During a search, they found a bag containing the heroin and fake Indian notes in the denomination of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 to the tune of Rs 15.83 lakh. This is, perhaps, the first incident of its kind. He said a complaint had been lodged against unknown persons with the Gharinda police in Amritsar-rural police district. Intelligence agencies and the Customs authorities have questioned the train crew. Sources say that an insider’s hand cannot be ruled out.
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Retired DSP booked for negligence
Patiala, May 25 An FIR against the accused officer has been registered at the same police station where he was posted as SHO in 2010, while a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the role of others in the case. Retired DSP Harbhajan Singh has been booked under Sections 217, 218 and 201 of the IPC for his negligence that led to the acquittal of the accused. “Several instances of negligence have been mentioned in the FIR, including presentation of challan in the court and incomplete evidence on record,” said Patiala DIG LK Yadav. The FIR states that Harbhajan has failed to preserve the iron rod found near the body of Gurmanvir Kaur and failed to match the blood samples found on the victim’s clothes and the rod. Further, the fingerprint records found at the crime scene and later sent for chemical examination to the Director, Fingerprint Bureau, Phillaur, but the report sent by the bureau was not properly mentioned in the challan and an effort was made to destroy that evidence. “Even the pellets found from inside the bodies of Hamir Singh and Jasminder Kaur were never matched with the confiscated weapon recovered from the spot and the weapon and its bullets were deposited very late with the forensic laboratory for reasons best known to the investigating officer,” reads the FIR at Nabha Kotwali. The investigating officer engaged the services of a private videographer and a photographer despite availability of the government service with the district police. Later, the private photographers were never included in the list of witnesses. Further, the Investigating Officer failed to establish the reason behind the murders. Amritbir was even accused by the police and others that he was in love with a girl and was always having tussles with his family members over property issues. “Even nails, clothes and footwear of the main accused were not sent for chemical examination despite the four victims had died in a pool of blood after being shot and hit with an iron rod”, claims the FIR. SIT to re-investigate case history
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Noted lawyer HS Phoolka has urged Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh to form a committee, which should seek opinion from the entire Sikh community and decide what more amendments could be made in the Anand Marriage Act. In a letter written to the Jathedar, Phoolka said, “Now that the amendment, facilitating registration of Sikh marriages under the Anand Marriage Act, has been passed by Parliament, it is the right time to evolve a consensus in the community on future amendments.” 
The extent of the fire was such that all the fire tenders from Ludhiana and Air Force Station, Halwara, were called in to douse the flames. Ditch machines were also pressed into service and some villagers brought their tractors and trolleys to the spot to help in controlling the fire.
Processed soybean products have a 4.8 billion dollar global market. Protein-rich, it could emerge as a substitute for meat for the ill-nourished population of the world.
Sources said a number of mobile SIMs have also been seized from these persons and raids were being conducted to arrest their accomplices at various parts in the district. The man who provided SIMs to them has also been arrested.