Kamal Sharma, Avinash Rai Khanna and Shanta Kumar backing them.

Kalia v/s Bhandari

Kalia and Bhandari had come to loggerheads recently during the mayoral elections. While Kalia had been projecting Mahendru as his candidate, Bhandari had been vouching for Sunil Jyoti. Even the top leaders found it extremely difficult to resolve the matter amicably and had held several rounds to reach a consensus on the appointment of Jyoti. Kalia, who had been feeling a little sidelined for quite sometime despite making a comeback in the Assembly polls, had probably felt some reprieve on the appointment of Mahendru for the post of the district president. In the recent episode, Bhandari was supporting Chugh as the candidate.

Mahendru v/s Chugh

Ravi Mahendru and Shiv Dyal Chugh share much commonness and were perhaps too mature candidates to take the post, but there were certain circumstances that led to the rivalry between the twosome. Both were elected as councillors from the party for the first time in the previous term of the MC House. Both were then mayoral candidates. Both have been district president of Jalandhar in the past. While Mahendru was already the state secretary, he was in no mood to step down from the post. Similarly, Chugh too was aiming higher, but there were certain groups who coerced him to file his nomination papers. The current infighting and the sudden levelling of charges against Chugh of forging signatures of the circle president in his nomination papers by party general secretary Manjit Singh Rai forced him to raise his voice.

Verma - the keyman

Ever since there had been charges against Chugh, it was one man Joginder Verma, circle president of the BJP, around whom the incidents involved. Since it was he who came on Chugh’s side and declared that it were his own signatures as proposer and these were not forged that things went in favour of Chugh. Ever since the other faction has been reportedly trying to win over Verma, a resident of cantonment, but he has refused to side with them. 

Jalandhar, December 6
The Nakodar police arrested Akshay for abducting and keeping his teenaged girlfriend in illegal captivity in a hostel of Rahon (Nawanshahr)-based thread-manufacturing unit.

The accused, who was arrested by the police this morning, was produced before the Illaqua magistrate and was sent to judicial custody.

Investigating officer ASI Jaswant Singh said duing his questioning, Akshay Kumar revealed to have a love affair with the girl. The duo used to meet in a city-based Church during prayers and came closer, he added.

On the complaint of the girl's father and family members, the police had recovered the victim from SEL Manufacturing Company Limited, the thread-manufacturing unit’s hostel and a case under Sections 363, 366 of the IPC was registered against the accused at Nakodar (City) police station.

The girl, who is said to be in a state of shock, is undergoing treatment at Jalandhar Civil Hospital. 

Jalandhar, December 6
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has taken a serious view of the recent incident in which Guru Nanak Dev University has debarred six staff members of Sant Baba Dalip Singh Memorial Khalsa College, Domeli, Kapurthala, and two from Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Daroli Kalan, from any evaluation-related activity for a period of five years. There have been allegations against the staff for allegedly helping 73 BA-I students with mass copying at the examination centre.

Tarlochan Singh, secretary of the education trust of the SGPC, said directions were given by president Avtar Singh Makkar to get an independent inquiry done on the matter after the news had been reported in The Tribune on October 28. He said that Makkar, who had been very strict regarding any incidents of cheating on campuses told him not to show any leniency and even go up to the extent of dismissing the staff in case the facts are found correct. He said the final decision would be pronounced in two to three days.

The education trust secretary said he had written to the GNDU officials for seeking various documents which could prove the matter and help him take any conclusive decision. He said he would be in the custody of complete set of documents in a day or two after which he would make his mind.

"I have already done a lot of correspondence with the varsity officials. I am in possession of a few documents," he said.

He said Makkar had asked him to write to GNDU and Punjab School Education Board to report on any such matters so that the management could conduct an internal inquiry and bring the wrongdoers to book.

"We had initially refrained from the entire matter as we try to remain out of the examination and other university related activities," he said.

The GNDU had passed orders of debarring against the Principal of Domeli College Dr Kirpal Kaur (who was the coordinator for the conduct of examination) and its lecturers Inderdeep Singh, Jagdeep Kaur and Simratpal Singh, and retired Superintendent Harjit Singh. The two lecturers from Daroli Kalan College who have been held accountable include Simranjot Kaur and Kulwant Kaur.

Both the colleges are being run under the management of Shrimoani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committtee (SGPC). Action has also come against the 73 students who have been debarred from appearing in any examination for a period of two years. The examination was held in April 2012. Sources within the university had said the examiners during the table checking for the examination had pointed out that all the students had committed the same mistakes in the paper and had even copied the same answers from a common source. 

Jalandhar, December 6
Following yesterday's broad daylight killing of ASI Ravinder Pal Singh in Amritsar who was trying to protect the honour of his young daughter, former Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira demanded the immediate resignation of Sukhbir Badal as home minister for the total collapse of law and order in Punjab.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Khaira said, “The dastardly killing of the ASI by an Akali leader in Amritsar indicates the total collapse of law and order in Punjab. If a police officer in uniform, who was trying to protect the honour of his young daughter, is not secure from Akali goons, one can imagine the plight of ordinary citizens.”

“What is more shocking and alarming is the fact, that the Akali ‘goondas’ after teasing the girl fired on the legs of the ASI, then took easy 20 minutes to bring a rifle from their house to kill him a few yards from the police station. The fact is that the Punjab Police is totally politicised and is working as a private army of the Badal family, the Akali leaders consider themselves above law in Punjab,” he added.

Khaira further stated “When the present DGP Sumedh Saini is himself charged with abduction in a special CBI court at Delhi, what justice can he give to citizens? His promotion superseding six IPS officers is invalid, as his DPC proceedings should have been kept in a sealed cover till the disposal of criminal case against him as per law.”

Jalandhar, December 6
An NGO, Bharat Natya Sangeet Kala Mandir, will organise 25th Mohammad Rafi Musical Night at Red Cross Bhawan on Saturday.

Padam Roshan, founder and general secretary of the NGO, said: “Over 25 singers, including Bollywood music director Surendra Kohli, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa runner-up Bhanu Pratap and Ranjana would enthrall the audience with their melodious voices during the nite.”

On this occasion, the NGO patrons Professor BS Narang, Dr Pritpal Singh, additional director Gurdeep Singh, organising secretary HR Malhotra, legal advisor SK Julka and sitarist Dr Varinder Kumar said singers from teenagers to aged persons of 76 would participate in the night being organised in the sweet memory of the legend Bollywood singer. 

Jalandhar, December 6
The lead cast of the upcoming movie ‘Cigarette ki tarah’ which is based on ‘Quit smoking’ message visited Lovely Professional University today along with other crew members, urging students to abstain from smoking culture.

The team was welcomed by a cheering crowd of nearly 2,000 students.

Among those who visited included actors Bhoop Yaduvanshi and Madhurima Tuli. The movie which is going to hit the screens on December 14 is about youth, their indulgences and the menace of drug abuse. The movie highlights the plight of those who take to smoking and other related ills and their unfavourable aftermaths on one’s life.

The actors said, “They had purposely chosen the university as a venue, as the movie is all about young people. The subject is closely related to the lifestyles adopted by young people. We wanted to leave a message that smoking is not a right way of living.” After the initial welcome, the crew came out in the lawns of the university and mingled with the students in a casual and unbridled amusing way. Thereafter, they addressed the students highlighting the importance of healthy and drug-free life.

The cast also danced to the tunes of popular numbers from the movie. Abhit, one of the students after an interaction with the lead acting pair, said: “It was good to see that the lead pair Bhoop Yaduvanshi and Madhurima Tuli talk about the ill-effects of drug abuse and the students lending a serious ear to their words.”

Rashmi Mittal, Pro-Chancellor, LPU, said: “Celebrities have a great influence on the general public as a whole and youth in particular. The visit by the entire crew of the movie is one of our endeavours to dispense meaningful messages to its students by leveraging upon the celebrity status of those who visited the campus. Moreover, the subject of the movie is of extreme relevance and we are happy to see the crew coming to the campus to create awareness against the menace.” 

Jalandhar, December 6
The employees of the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences called off their strike today. The budding medicos accused the management for providing substandard food to the hostlers.

A number of medical students assembled in front of the hospital OPD and lodged their protest against the management.

The students alleged that the management had been serving them poor quality food. Besides this they are debarred from certain other facilities despite of hefty fee being charged from them.

The director-cum-principal of the PIMS, Dr Kulbir Kaur, expressed her ignorance on the issue claiming that senior persons from management were the authorities to comment on the topic. 

Jalandhar, December 6
The star cast of an upcoming Punjabi film ‘sadi gali aaya karo’ entertained students of CT Group of Institutions here today.

The stars of the film, Zoya , Nav Bajwa and Anuj Puri, shared many of the prominent dialogues and songs of their upcoming film. The other members of the visiting team were director Sunil Puri and producer Vinay Puri. The film is going to hit theatres on December 14.

While interacting with CT students, they said: “The film is based on college life. So, youth will be able to enjoy the movie.”

They said, “In the history of Punjabi film Industry ‘sadi gali aaya karo’ is the first Punjabi movie, the rights of which have been taken by Karnataka to remake film in Kannada language. — TNS