J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Facebook friendship leads girl to suicide
Jalandhar, August 14
Friendship on Facebook, a social networking site, cost dear to a Jammu girl, as she committed suicide, with her two friends posting her objectionable pictures on the site, besides leaving vulgar comments against her.

DSWO to seek information about SC students
Jalandhar, August 14
The district administration today issued directions to the district social welfare officer (DSWO) to seek information from colleges across the district regarding the total number of the scheduled caste (SC) students studying at various campus and the number of those who had been availing the post matric scholarship scheme of the Central Government.

Woman nabbed
Phagwara, August 14
The Police has arrested a woman, Jeeto, wife of Joginder Pal of village Gohawar and recovered 15 kg of puppy husks from her possession today.

Police campaign against violation of rules
Phagwara, August 14
On the directions of Punjab DGP, the Phagwara police had launched a large scale campaign against anti-social elements to curb the menace of drug abuse and violation of the rules.

DTF condemns rationalisation policy
Phagwara, August 14
While accusing the state education department for violating the Right to Education Act as well as the recommendations of much publicized education reforms committee headed by the former GNDU VC, Dr SP Singh, Bhupinder Singh Warraich, state president, democratic teachers front (DTF) had strongly condemned the rationalisation policy of the state education department.

Facebook friendship leads girl to suicide
Her social networking site friends had posted her objectionable pictures 
Bipin Bhardwaj/TNS

DSWO to seek information about SC students
Deepkamal Kaur/TNS

Jalandhar, August 14
The district administration today issued directions to the district social welfare officer (DSWO) to seek information from colleges across the district regarding the total number of the scheduled caste (SC) students studying at various campus and the number of those who had been availing the post matric scholarship scheme of the Central Government.

The immediate provocation came when five SC boys from the local Mehr Chand Polytechnic college appeared before the DSWO regarding complaint against their authorities. The students had entered the second year of their engineering diploma course and were asked to deposit their original class X certificates with the authorities and furnish an affidavit, failing which they would not be allowed to take the benefit of the scheme.

The students rued that the certificates were important to them and is used as an ID proof on various occasions. The officer was directed by the district commissioner to pursue the case with the principal of the concerned college.

Principal Jagroop Singh said, “The students have to deposit the re-imbursed amount with us. But we often face problems in getting the amount as the students move off to their respective districts and do not respond after leaving the college. We have Rs 1 crore due from the students for the same reason. There are about 70-80 students availing the scheme”.

The principal said he had thought of retaining the student’s detailed marks certificate in future rather than keeping their class X certificates. He denied taking affidavits and claimed that it was on a simple paper that he was asking them to give undertaking of deposition of the re-imbursed amount with the college.

Woman nabbed
Our Correspondent

Phagwara, August 14
The Police has arrested a woman, Jeeto, wife of Joginder Pal of village Gohawar and recovered 15 kg of puppy husks from her possession today.

Phagwara SP Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh said the arrested woman was travelling in a bus and was nabbed by the police party during a search near local bus stand.

Several more disclosures are expected from the arrested accused woman, said Khakh.

Police campaign against violation of rules
Our Correspondent

Phagwara, August 14
On the directions of Punjab DGP, the Phagwara police had launched a large scale campaign against anti-social elements to curb the menace of drug abuse and violation of the rules.

Phagwara SP Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh said the police had launched the campaign last night and nabbed 13 persons involved in violation of the rules. Khakh said persons found consuming liquor at public places, creating nuisance for the residents were being booked, while the police is keeping a check on the activities of the youngsters roaming around the educational institutions for eye-teasing purposes, drug peddlers and snatchers, to provide comfortable atmosphere for the residents.

SP said a drive is being launched with the help of health department to check those chemists, involved in selling intoxicants without valid prescription of a qualified doctor.

DTF condemns rationalisation policy
Ashok Kaura

Phagwara, August 14
While accusing the state education department for violating the Right to Education Act as well as the recommendations of much publicized education reforms committee headed by the former GNDU VC, Dr SP Singh, Bhupinder Singh Warraich, state president, democratic teachers front (DTF) had strongly condemned the rationalisation policy of the state education department.

The DTF would hold a state-level dharna in front of the the director general school education (DGSE) office on August 24 to oppose the anti-teachers policies as well as the attitude of the education minister, Sikander Singh Malooka.

"Under the Right to Education Act, the teacher student ratio is 1:35 but the rationalization is being done per 1:40 ratio. Besides, with the policy of allotting atleast 36 periods per week to the lecturers, about 5,000 posts of the master cadre had been declared surplus in the state", said Warraich.