The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Mysterious firing leaves woman critically injured
Parmod Bharti

Nawanshahr, July 27
A New Delhi resident was injured in mysterious firing at the bus stand here on Friday. The victim has been identified as Surjit Kaur (60).

The incident happened when she was waiting for a bus to New Delhi after meeting her relatives at Sajawalpur village, which is her husband’s village. She sustained a bullet injury at her left cheek. The victim was immediately taken to the Civil Hospital from where she was shifted to a private hospital. Her condition is stated to be critical.

SP (D) Dharam Singh Uppal, DSP Satish Malhotra and SHO (City) Vinod Kumar reached the site after getting information.

DSP Malhotra said after the preliminary investigation it seems that the pistol of an unknown passenger sitting near the victim fell down on the ground which led to firing. The bullet hit the woman.

A shopkeeper at the bus stand said he heard the sound of a gunshot and then he found the woman lying there in a pool of blood.

“Had the people waiting at the bus stand shown a sense of responsibility and courage, the miscreant would have been nabbed at the spot itself”, said the DSP. The police is working on different theories to solve the mysterious case.

A case under relevant sections of the IPC and Arms Act has been registered at city police station, said Vinod Kumar, SHO.

Shooting At Bus stand

60-year-old Surjit Kaur was injured in firing when she was standing for a Delhi-bound bus at the bus stand

Police says the pistol of an unknown person sitting near the victim fell down on the ground which led to firing

Nobody at the bus stand knew what happened

Seizures of Heroin, arms
Sidhu holds meeting with security officials, industrialists
Tribune News Service

MP Navjot Singh Sidhu meets police and BSF officials in Amritsar on Friday. A Tribune photo

Amritsar, July 27
Expressing his concern over the seizures of contraband, including heroin, and arms pushed from across the border, MP Navjot Singh Sidhu today chaired a meeting of senior officers of the police, customs and BSF along with the representatives of trade and industry.

Addressing the meeting, Sidhu said, “We need to beef up the security infrastructure at Amritsar Rail Cargo Complex, Attari railway station and the Integrated Check Post (ICP) as a deterrent to thwart the attempts by forces to subvert the peaceful trade between the two neighbours.

He said a security dossier on Amritsar border with complete details would be presented to Union Home Minister P Chidambram and others to take urgent steps to instill confidence among the people as cases of heroin and other contraband seizure have created hurdles for the smooth trade.

He asserted that a consensus has emerged during the meeting that high power scanners should be installed at the entry point of the border for checking the rail cargo movement and also at the ICP in Attari. He said the scanners can neutralise all such attempts to derail the trade and would restore confidence among the peaceful trading community of both the countries who are doing their best to improve bilateral economic ties between India and Pakistan.

The senior security officials suggested that the entire railway cargo complex at Amritsar and Attari need to be properly guarded by erecting fence, deployment of the Railway Protection Force along with GRP, besides round-the-clock patrolling to safeguard goods for the international trade.

The meeting discussed the proposal to deploy sniffer dog squad to check the menace of cross border smuggling of narcotics and other contraband. The meeting also decided to request the cement exporters based in Pakistan to ensure that rail wagons are properly sealed in their presence. They will also be urged to strongly take up the matter with Pakistan security agencies and customs at Lahore station that no one is allowed to put contrabands into the goods wagons.

The security officials and the traders also suggested installation of CCTV cameras at the Rail Cargo Compound at Amritsar and Attari to keep a strict surveillance on anti-national elements in their premises.

Concluding the meeting, Sidhu said all the security loopholes need to be plugged with better vigilance and compliance of complete security norms, besides allowing only authorised persons duly cleared by the police with proper identity cards allowed to enter the high security cargo zones earmarked for international trade.

Among those who participated in the meeting included Police Commissioner RP Mittal, BSF DIG Sanjiv Bhanot, Deputy Commissioner Customs Vijay Bahadur Singh, Amritsar Rural SSP Pritpal Singh Virk, traders Rajdeep Uppal, Anil Mehra, and Dalip Singh.

Two women fall prey to snatchers
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 27
Two unidentified motorcycle-borne youth allegedly snatched the purse belonging to Sharanjit Kaur, a resident of Kot Karnail Singh on Sultanwind road here. She was going on a cycle rickshaw at the time of the incident.

The accused has been identified, thanks to the two eyewitnesses who followed the accused on their motorcycle.

Investigating officer Balraj Singh said the two youths started following the snatchers who entered a dead end street at Partap Nagar.

The accused fled the spot leaving their motorcycle behind. He said the accused has been identified with the help of the motorcycle left at the scene. The victim had Rs 20,000, 140 Canadian dollars and important documents in her purse which she had brought from her sister in Jalandhar.

Sharanjit’s sister, who belongs to Jalandhar, had recently come from Canada. The victim told the police her sister gave her money for the boutique which she runs here. A case under Section 382, 34 IPC has been registered in this regard.

In another incident, Sinderpal Kaur of Nariangarh Nirmla Colony was robbed by unidentified snatcher who took away her purse when she was alighting from an autorickshaw on her way back home. A case under Section 379-B IPC has been registered by Chheharta police in this regard.

Woman arrested for husband’s murder

Phagwara: The police has arrested a woman of Dhak Pandori village and her accomplice for allegedly murdering her husband Jaspal of Bhagatpura locality on April 18.

Monika and her accomplice Ranjit Singh of Mansa Devi Nagar have been under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC.

Jaspal was strangulated top death. The murder took place over the victim’s property business. Jaspal was found dead at his house in the morning of April 19.

He said Paras Ram, the deceased’s father, suspected foul play in the death of his Dalit son.

The accused have been sent to one-day police remand.

In another case, the police arrested Harwinder Singh and Gurpreet (both residents of Bhanoki village) and recovered eight grams of heroin from their possession at two separate places in the town. Both the accused have been sent to 14-day judicial remand.

Two cholera cases in Dasuya
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, July 27
The gastro epidemic has aggravated in Dasuya town in the district. Dr Naresh Kansra, SMO, Civil Hospital, Dasuya, said the number of gastroenteritis patients in the hospital had increased from 79 to 117. As many as 75 patients have been discharged since yesterday.

A two-and-a-half-year old child had been referred to the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences, Jalandhar, under critical condition.

As of now, there are 53 patients in the local Civil Hospital.

He said three mobile teams of health department were looking after residents in Ward 10, 11, 12 and 13 round the clock to check gastroenteritis patients and to shift them to government health institutions. As many as 92 patients had been referred to the Civil Hospital by these teams since July 26.

The Municipal Council had replaced the leaking water supply pipes, which were the main cause behind the spread of the epidemic. As a precautionary measure, the MC has been supplying potable water through tankers in the area.

According to Dr Sardul Singh, SMO Civil Hospital, Hoshiarpur, out of 10 water samples from the above said wards, nine were found unfit for human consumption. So far two Vibrio cholera cases had been confirmed.

Dr Avtar Singh, Civil Surgeon, Hoshiarpur, said anti-larva teams had been deputed in the area. Chlorine tablets were being distributed in Dasuya town and its adjoining areas.