B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Man held for killing wife for dowry
Bathinda, December 25
A newly-married man has been arrested for killing his 20-year-old wife for want of dowry in village Pathrala today. The police has also booked the accused's parents in the case.

Leopard injures 3 villagers in Abohar
Abohar, December 25
Three persons were injured as a leopard reportedly attacked them near Gumjal, the last village of the Abohar sub-division located close to the interstate (Punjab-Rajasthan) border on the Abohar-Sriganganagar road, today.

Escapee undertrial nabbed in Abohar
Abohar, December 25
A mobile phone call made by one of the undertrials, who had escaped from the police custody from the district court complex yesterday, landed him in the police custody here today.

A milk vendor braves the cold weather in Bathinda on a foggy Tuesday morning. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Ex-PM Vajpayee’s birthday celebrated
Fazilka, December 25
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), Fazilka, organised a blood donation camp at the local Civil Hospital today to commemorate the birthday of former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

‘Christmas gift’ for rail passengers
Abohar, December 25
Responding to long-pending demand, the railways have added a second AC chair car coach each to the 12482/12481 Sriganganagar-Abohar-Delhi and the 14712/14711 Sriganganagar-Abohar-Haridwar inter-city trains from today.

Residents of Malout held a protest against the gangrape in Delhi and demanded the harshest punishment for the accused, on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph

Cong holds meeting ahead of Maghi Mela conference
Muktsar, December 25
The district Congress leadership, including its two MLAs from Muktsar and Gidderbaha constituencies, held a meeting under the chairmanship of Congress MLA from Dera Baba Nanak Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who has been appointed as the in-charge of Maghi Mela conference of the party, here today.

Man booked for tearing cop’s uniform
Ferozepur, December 25
One Jaswinder Singh allegedly tore off the uniform of an on-duty head constable Amrik Singh at Lakho ke Behram police station in the district.

Man held for killing wife for dowry
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 25
A newly-married man has been arrested for killing his 20-year-old wife for want of dowry in village Pathrala today.

The police has also booked the accused's parents in the case.

The victim’s father Jaspal Singh, a resident of Piouri village in Muktsar district, stated that his daughter Sukhjit Kaur was killed for dowry. Sukhjit was married to the accused, Gurtej Singh of Pathrala village, in September.

Thereafter, Gurtej Singh, his father Nahar Singh and his mother Malkit Kaur started harassing her for dowry.

The investigating officer in the case, Sangat Station House Officer Harbans Singh said that the family was accused of demanding Rs 50,000 in cash and a washing machine. When Sukhjit could not bring the desired things, the accused started beating her. She had informed her parents about the beating incident over the phone.

However, on Monday morning, the family members raised hue and cry that their daughter-in-law Sukhjit had got drowned in a water tank constructed inside the house.

“The household has a canal water storage tank, which is almost 12-feet deep. In the morning, her in-laws raised an alarm saying that she had fallen inside the tank. Some neighbours helped them pull her out and rushed her to a hospital where she was declared dead,” said the investigation officer.

The victim’s father Jaspal Singh alleged that Sukhjit was drowned in the water tank.

The police arrested Sukhjit’s husband Gurtej this evening while her father-in-law and mother-in-law were on the run.

Leopard injures 3 villagers in Abohar
Our Correspondent

Abohar, December 25
Three persons were injured as a leopard reportedly attacked them near Gumjal, the last village of the Abohar sub-division located close to the interstate (Punjab-Rajasthan) border on the Abohar-Sriganganagar road, today.

Information gathered from official sources and locals indicated that two dogs of Dhaani Ranbir located on the outskirts of Gumjal village had gone missing on Sunday. Some farmers, who were searching for the missing dogs, found their skeletons today. The footprints found near the skeletons indicated that some wild animal had eaten them as the area falls in the wildlife sanctuary shared by Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan.

Wielding 'lathis' and sharp-edged weapons, farmers from Gumjal and surrounding villages launched a drive to locate the wild animal. They were caught unaware as the leopard emerged through shrubs that are part of the jungle. The animal attacked the chasers and injured three of them before escaping into the woods.

A team from the Wildlife Department, led by inspector Mohinder Singh, and cops from Khuyiansarwar have reached the village. They confirmed that three persons have been shifted to the district hospital at Sriganganagar since it is closer than Abohar.

Officials at the state headquarters of the Wildlife Department have been informed. They assured that a team of experts would be arriving here on Wednesday to catch the beast.

As a precautionary measure, people have been cautioned against moving outside.

This is probably the first such incident in the wildlife open sanctuary area.

Escapee undertrial nabbed in Abohar
Our Correspondent

Abohar, December 25
A mobile phone call made by one of the undertrials, who had escaped from the police custody from the district court complex yesterday, landed him in the police custody here today.

Superintendent of police Varinder Singh Brar said SSP Amar Singh Chahal had flashed messages to all police stations in the district to launch a search operation for Sonu alias Lakhwinder of Patel Nagar (Abohar), who along with Sanjay Jat of Pushkar (Ajmer) had escaped from the police custody after they were produced in the court of additional district and sessions' judge at Fazilka on Monday.

The undertrials had been booked under the NDPS Act in two different cases. Sanjay was booked by the Fazilka City police while Sonu was booked at the police station City-1, Abohar.

As the Abohar police team was making some queries with Sonu's wife here, she received a mobile call from him. She asked him to come immediately. The police cordoned off the city bus stand and nabbed Sonu as he alighted from a bus.

He was arrested in the fresh case that was registered against him after he escaped from the police custody.

Ex-PM Vajpayee’s birthday celebrated

Fazilka, December 25
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), Fazilka, organised a blood donation camp at the local Civil Hospital today to commemorate the birthday of former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Fazilka MLA and Punjab Forest Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani inaugurated the camp. Jyani said Vajpayee was one of the founders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a source of inspiration for the party workers. Senior medical officer Dr SP Garg, Municipal Council president Anil Sethi and BJP Mandal president Manoj Tripathi were present on the occasion. — OC

‘Christmas gift’ for rail passengers

Abohar, December 25
Responding to long-pending demand, the railways have added a second AC chair car coach each to the 12482/12481 Sriganganagar-Abohar-Delhi and the 14712/14711 Sriganganagar-Abohar-Haridwar inter-city trains from today.

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had last month assured the Congress Legislative Party leader Sunil Jakhar and former Pradesh Congress president and ex-MP Virendra Kataria that the number of AC chair cars would be shortly doubled keeping in view the long waiting lists.

North India Railway Users Consultative Committee member Hanuman Dass Goyal, Bikaner Division Railway Users Committee member Gurprasad Behal and Ambala Division Railway Users Consultative Committee member Madan Lal Bhalotia have welcomed the decision. They too had raised the demand in the meetings of their consultative committees several times. They termed it as befitting gift on the eve of Christmas. — OC

Cong holds meeting ahead of Maghi Mela conference

Muktsar, December 25
The district Congress leadership, including its two MLAs from Muktsar and Gidderbaha constituencies, held a meeting under the chairmanship of Congress MLA from Dera Baba Nanak Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who has been appointed as the in-charge of Maghi Mela conference of the party, here today.

Addressing the media, Randhawa said the Congress in Punjab would sound poll bugle for the general elections from this historical town during the Maghi Mela conference.

He accused Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia of “patronising goons”.

While addressing the party workers, he related some incidents of vendetta politics occurred in his own constituency and appealed them to fight with the Akalis, in case the latter register any false criminal case against them. He further blamed CM Parkash Singh Badal for each criminal activity of the Akalis. — TNS

Man booked for tearing cop’s uniform

Ferozepur, December 25
One Jaswinder Singh allegedly tore off the uniform of an on-duty head constable Amrik Singh at Lakho ke Behram police station in the district.

It is learnt that the police had got the information about theft of some wooden logs following which one Ranjha Singh and some others were called to the police station for interrogation. Meanwhile, Jaswinder came there and entered into an argument with the head constable at the entrance of the police station while questioning why Ranjha Singh was summoned for inquiry.

Jaswinder, in a fit of rage, allegedly tore off his uniform following which a case was registered against him. — OC