Amritsar, September 23
A doctor at the emergency block of Jallinawala Bagh Memorial (JBM) Civil Hospital here was manhandled and bundled into an ambulance by a patient's relatives who came to the hospital at around 5 in the morning.

The hospital staff reported that the patient was bleeding profusely, as blood vessels on his neck were cut. The staff claimed to have given first-aid treatment to the injured.

Later, as the relatives were asked to shift the patient to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital for advanced medication, they allegedly bundled Medical Officer Dr Sandeep Kakkar into the ambulance arranged by the hospital for shifting the patient.

Senior Medical Officer of JBM Hospital Dr Balbir Singh Dhillon said, “The hospital staff arranged for the ambulance for the patient. However, the patient’s relatives bundled up Dr Sandeep Kakkar into it and took him along with them. He was manhandled and abused on way to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital.”

Later, Dhillon along with SMO Sushma Sondhi, Civil Surgeon Yash Mitra and Assistant Civil Surgeon Dr Balwinder Kakkar reached the place and got Dr Sandeep rescued with the help of police.

The hospital staff reported that the six-seven persons, accompanying the injured, were armed with sharp-edged weapons and threatened staff with dire consequences if anything happened to the injured.

The Majitha road chauki has registered a case against the accused while managing to arrest the prime accused Hardeep Singh. “The police must arrest all accused at the earliest. Besides, a police picket should be erected at Civil Hospital for the security of the staff on duty during the night,” said PCMS Association president Dr Jaspreet Singh while condemning the incident. A meeting under PCMS state body vice-president Dr RS Buttar was also held to condemn the incident.

The JBM Hospital’s Mulajam Welfare Manch has also condemned the incident. Chairman Rakesh Kumar said, “It is highly unfortunate that a doctor who tried to save a person’s life was ill treated. We demand strict action against the accused so that such incidents do not recur.”

Amritsar, September 23
Close on the heels of a self-styled tantrik being held for beating up a teenaged boy, another incident has come to light in which a couple tried to kill a boy following an assurance given to them by a tantrik that their daughter would be traced if they sacrifice a child.

The incident occurred in Patti Balckia, falling under the Patti police station in Tarn Taran. The police has arrested the tantrik and the accused couple in this connection.

According to information, the daughter of Charanjit Kaur and Tara Singh, both residents of Ram Das Colony, had been missing for the past three days, following which Charanjit Kaur approached the self-styled Baba Parmanand.

Harit Sharma, SHO, Patti police station, said Paramand told them that their daughter would return if they sacrificed a child. He said the couple kidnapped a seven-year-old boy Prince in their neighbourhood and took him to a secluded dry well located near the locality. They threw the boy in the well and pelted stones at him to kill him, following which the boy fell unconscious.

“Considering him to be dead, they returned to their home,” said Harit.

In the wee hours today, area residents Gurmej Singh, Pargat Singh, Raj Singh and Harbans Singh were passing near the place when they heard the cries of the boy. They pulled him out and informed the police. The boy narrated the entire story to the police and his family members.

Following this, the police arrested the self-styled Baba and the accused couple. The police has registered a case against them under relevant Sections of the IPC.

Amritsar, September 23
Even after a lapse of nearly two months, the suspension orders of the junior engineer (JE), the sewerman and disciplinary action against the SDO could not be revoked.

The trio was allegedly held responsible for an incident which claimed the life of a teenaged girl and left two others hurt due to a faulty manhole cover.

This is despite the fact that the alleged negligence, on the basis of which the sewerman Baldev Singh and JE Mohinder Singh were put under suspension, could not be established nor could it be ascertained that the accidents had occurred after the victims’ vehicles hit the manhole cover. The disciplinary action against SDO Manjit Singh Saini, too, could not be substantiated.

Moreover, there was no complainant in the case that was registered with the police. On July 24, it was at about 6.45 pm when the sewerman Baldev Singh had noticed the missing lid of a manhole located on Albert Road. Immediately, he brought it to the notice of area SDO Saini who, in turn, told him to arrange the lid from the store and he did so accordingly by 8 pm.

It was another matter that he could not find the lid of exact size which could fit on that manhole, but he also placed sand bags and demarcated the place with fluorescent white colour around the manhole to indicate the commuters.

The Civil Lines police booked the "MC staff" under Section 304-A of the IPC with remarks "unidentified MC employees" and "on secret information" in the complainant’s box in the official crime diary. This implied that no particular person was held responsible for this mishap and that there was no particular complainant in this case.

On the insistence of the Sandharsh Committee, MC Commissioner Dharampal Gupta and Additional Commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal intervened in the matter and approached the Local Bodies Ministry to revoke the action against the MC employees. SDO Manjit Singh Saini said there was no concrete evidence to prove that the incident had occurred after the commuters hit the manhole and it was not justified to hold them responsible for the accident.

JE Mohinder Singh told that it was rather the presence of mind on the part of the sewerman who spotted the stolen lid and acted swiftly. “Neither was there any complainant nor was any postmortem conducted on the body of the victim, then on what basis it could ascertain the exact cause of the death,” he said.

Officialspeak
MC Commissioner Dharampal Gupta said that even as the action was taken on the basis of a probe conducted by Superintending Engineer Jaswinder Singh, the final decision would be taken by the Local Bodies Ministry only. “We have no choice but to wait for the decision of the officials of the Local Bodies Ministry, which is the ultimate authority. A communication has already been sent to them,” he said

Amritsar, September 23
In an incident widely perceived as an act against academic freedom in Punjab, some publishers and editors, who reprinted the old writings of renowned Kavishar Babu Rajat Ali, were arrested by the Punjab Government recently. He was a popular poet of Punjab, his poetry published much before the Independence included "qissas" of Punjabi folktales like Heer Ranjha, Dulla Bhatti, Mirza Sahiban and Bhagat Singh etc.

The recent incident has sparked off a debate among the literary circles on the attempted assault on academic freedom in Punjab. Sharp reactions have come from all sides, calling the arrest thoughtless, callous and ruthless action against innocent people. Writers and literary personalities across the region have condemned the arrests in unison.

Babu Rajab Ali was a celebrated poet, the king of kavishari in the region. To call his work objectionable and arrest those who publish it is totally beyond my understanding. If you look at most folk songs and traditional poetry of Punjab, it comes with caste references. If that is the case, then Waris Shah's writings should also be banned. Those publishers do not deserve to be punished, as I am sure that their intentions were not bad. — Padam Shri Surjit Patar, celebrated writer and educationist I would call the arrests an injustice. Babu Rajab Ali was a legendary poet and his poetry was talk of the time when there was no hue and cry over casteism. His works and the mention of the then used caste names in his poetry have to be understood in the historical context and not in today's scenario. It's just another case of the constricted mentality that we have developed over the years. Waris Shah's Heer is a celebrated piece of literature and it openly has caste and gender references. Should he be next on the list of poets tagged 'objectionable' by the authorities? — Parminderjit Singh, writer and editor, Akhar magazine Making a reference to traditional caste names in academic works cannot be construed as name-calling. In its overzealous thoughtlessness, has entered a wrong territory, as this is not the only text containing traditional caste names. Such a cleansing will need doing away with all classical Punjabi literature containing the traditional caste names, which would include the likes of Bhai Gurdas, Waris Shah, Shah Husain and Dhani Ram Chatrik, who are regularly published by various state departments and universities run by the Punjab government — Ajmer Aulakh, theatre person and writer

Amritsar, September 23
Several unidentified persons brutally beat up two youths and then snatched their gold chain and cash at Sant Avenue here today.

The unidentified youths put a blanket on the youths before brutally beating them up and snatching their belongings. The victims, Pardeep Singh and Iqbal Singh, both residents of Azad Nagar and Guru Ramdas Nagar, respectively, were going to Sant Avenue on their two-wheeler. On seeing the group of youths, they slowed down their vehicle to give them way. As they came near, the unidentified youths threw a blanket on them and started beating them up. They then snatched their gold chain and Rs 6,000, it was learnt.

Residents of the area immediately informed the police, which reached the spot. The police team started investigation and recorded the victims' statements for further action. — TNS

Amritsar, September 23
Manjit Singh, a resident of village Majhwind Gopal Pura, Kathnangal, was killed in a road mishap when a speeding tipper vehicle hit him late last night. The incident occurred near the Fatehgarch Churian bypass.

Manjit had just alighted from a Jeep (HP23-A-5064) along with Mukhtiar Singh on the roadside when the tipper (PB-07-PT-7022), being driven by one Kesan Saini of Hoshiarpur, hit him. Manjit sustained critical injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The police has registered a case. — TNS

Amritsar, September 23
A huge quantity of liquor and narcotics were recovered from Amarjit Singh, alias Judge, of Baba Sangat Singh.

The Maqboolpura police has arrested the accused and a case under the Excise Act was registered against him. The police said it received specific information that the accused was involved in bootlegging. The police raided his residence and seized 2.36 ml of liquor and 70 gm of narcotics from his possession. As many as 20 cases of similar charges are already registered against him at various police stations in the city. — TNS

Amritsar, September 23
Students of the Guru Ram Dass School of Planning at Guru Nanak Dev University spent the day conducting a survey of the entire walled city, the findings of which would be useful in preserving the heritage character of the holy city.

Head of the school Dr Balvinder Singh said the entire old city was divided into 43 parts for conducting the survey in detailed manner. He said the students conducted the survey as part of an ongoing study that would help in chalking out the future course of city’s development.

The students were given maps available on the Internet as well as the ones available with the district town planning office. “The difficult part is that no map available so far has listed all the existing streets in the old city,” said Dr Balvinder Singh, adding that the students had marked names of each and every street on the maps.

He said the students had a nine-point agenda while conducting the survey. “We have marked all the old trees, temples, old wells and all such other things,” said Dr Balvinder Singh, adding that photographs of all the old buildings were clicked.

He said the general height of the buildings in streets and predominant land use in a particular street was also noted.

“All this data would come to use when the proposed heritage cell comes up. It would help in preserving the heritage character of the city and making plans for the future,” he said.

The students started the survey after a meeting with Municipal Commissioner Dharam Pal Gupta. The MC has already assured all help to the department for completing the study.

Dr Balvinder Singh said the findings of the study would be complied and a detailed report would be prepared in the coming days.

Amritsar, September 23
An NGO, Manav Adhikar Sangharsh Committee, organised a seminar at Virsa Vihar today to educate students on the menace of drug addiction. Besides holding lectures for the students, a play was also staged by school students.

The seminar was attended by officials of the Health Department, Police Department, representatives of chemists' association and students of various schools.

The committee's general secretary, Manmohan Singh, said all the sections of the society were required to put in joint efforts to wean away youngsters for the drugs.

Meanwhile, a 15-day-long drug de-addiction camp at Swami Vivekanand De-addiction centre concluded today.

Presiding over the function, Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal said 40 young drug addicts were treated at the camp. The camp was organised with the help of the Nehru Yuva Kendra.

Amritsar, September 23
About 40 students from five schools of the city took part in a slogan and painting competition held at Bhai Gurdas Hall today.

Organised by the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB), students from Ajanta Public School, DAV Public School, Spring Dale School, Holy Heart School and Sant Singh Sukha Singh School participated in it.

Project Manager of the PHTPB A.R. Mishra said the result would be declared during the workshop on heritage to be organised by the Asian Development Bank on September 26. Tourism Minister Swarn Singh Phillaur was expected to inaugurate the workshop.

Besides, a heritage walk for residents of the holy city would be held on September 27 to celebrate the completion of a year of the walk. Notably, World Tourism Day also falls on the same day.

Amritsar, September 23
President of the Federation of Indian Rationalists Associations (FIRA) Dr Narendra Nayak, expressing his disgust at educated and professionally qualified people turning to self-styled god men and others seeking solution to their problems, has announced to initiate a campaign targeting young minds to infuse scientific approach in them.

He said a module has been developed in this regard and it would be initiated in Chandigarh from mid-October. Under this module science teachers would be trained to inculcate scientific temper and approach in the students.

He said the programme was finalised after it was found that highly educated persons also approached tantricks, palmists and astrologers. He attributed this phenomenon to the "impact of society and compartmentalisation of brain where a part studies modern education and another remains unaffected from this". He stressed that to wean the young minds away from this impact it was necessary to develop a scientific temper in them at a young age.

A biochemistry teacher by profession, Nayak has been appointed a resource person for the Department of Science and Technology to conduct training workshops. He said workshops had been held in this regard at Ropar, Sangrur, Patiala and Amritsar while more workshops would be held at Malout and Bathinda next month. Besides, he said, the Union Government would set up five science centres across the country to encourage scientific outlook, approach and temperament. Nayak is also a founder member of the FIRA and was elected as its president in 2004.

Born in a Brahmin family of Mangalore, he rejected the concept of prayer as "it being a one way conversation with a party and the other end never responding". Following this he turned his attention to the many other prevalent superstitions and found them to be equally useless. After completing his graduation he initiated the rationalist movement in Dakshina Kannada district in 1976, which gradually took the shape of a national-level organisation.

He expressed his displeasure at the non-implementation of the Drugs and Magic Remedies Objectionable Advertisement Act-1954.

Sumeet Singh of the Tarksheel Society, Punjab, said that today's seminar was dedicated to Shahid Bhagat Singh and late theater activist Bhaji Gursharan Singh.

Amritsar, September 23
The birth anniversary of Bhai Kanhaiya Singh was celebrated as a "duty day" by the state Human Rights Cell of the BJP at art gallery here.

The programme had Rajya Sabha member Avinash Rai Khanna and Technical Education and Industrial Training Minister Anil Joshi as chief guests. The guests paid tributes to Bhai Kanhaiya Singh.

Calling for total commitment towards one’s duties towards the society and nation, Avinash Rai Khanna emphasised the need for understanding rights as well as duties.

Others present on the occasion were the BJP Human Rights Cell convener Sudhir Aggarwal, Master Ajit Singh, Dr Gurjit Singh and Dr Hardas Singh.

Amritsar, September 23
“The Indian economy is passing through a phase when a diverse spectrum of economic/political transformation, both at the regional as well as national level, has been taking place especially since the economic reforms. The tax/GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of India is very low as compared to other countries," said R.P. Sisodia, Joint Secretary, HRD Ministry, New Delhi, while delivering his address during a national seminar on "Issues facing the regional economy in India: Perspectives and challenges".

The UGC-sponsored seminar was organised by the Punjab School of Economics of Guru Nanak Dev University.

Sisodia said the policies relating to education and health should be restructured keeping in view the authentic data, so that the real benefit should reach the deserving people.

"Punjab economy since liberalisation has performed below its potential level and slipped from first to fifth rank in term of per capita income. The economy has also been facing chronic shortage of investment in capital formation for the last three decades. If Punjab wants to regain and re-achieve its lost economic glory, then the revamping of the state monitory and fiscal policy is urgently desired," he said.

He also expressed his concern over the much exploitation of natural resources. He said at the regional level ground water was going down, specially in Punjab and Haryana. "The natural resources should be utilised according to requirement only by maintaining a balance between economic growth and environment," he advocated.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof AS Brar, in his presidential remarks, said education and health played an important role in the economic development of the country. He emphasised that because of lack of authentic data, the policies were not properly implemented. In this context, he cited the example of the Indian Railways. "The Indian Railways experienced a huge profit during the last few years, but if we talked about the infrastructure it lagged behind,” he viewed.

Prof Amitabh Kundu from Jawahar Lal Nehru University, New Delhi , in his address said the Indian development scenario was viewed optimistically in the global context not only in terms of its pace of growth, but also its capability to stand out in periods of economic crisis.

He said gender discrimination was comparatively higher in Punjab as compared to other states. He also expressed his concern over the less rate of growth and low child sex ratio.

On the issue of migration of workers, he said the citizenship of any person in any part of the country should not be questioned in the interest of development of that region. He said Punjab and Kerala were the most globalised states in the country.

Amritsar, September 23
Technical Education and Industrial Training Minister Anil Joshi distributed 62 sewing machines among girls, who have successfully completed the stitching and embroidery course run by Aastha Foundation here.

Addressing the gathering, Joshi said the Technical Education Department would initiate a short-duration professional course, especially for women to empower them. He said the department had also consulted various industrial houses to provide in-house training to girls in their factories.

He lauded the role of Aastha Foundation for working for the betterment of women. The foundation's coordinator, Ravi Modi, said the organisation had so far distributed 122 sewing machines among girls. The foundation had come into being around three years ago. He said the foundation would organise a free medical checkup camp on October 7 at Ram Ashram School.