Jalandhar, December 29
Two members of a family were asphyxiated, while two others were hospitalised due to the gas emitted by the coal hearth that the family was burning in its room while asleep to keep itself warm.

The incident occurred in Faggu Mohalla of the Garha locality, where the family was living in a rented accommodation for the past couple of months.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Model Town) Sarbjit Singh said Ram Aashre, an electrician with the Indian Army, was posted at Military Hospital and was residing in a rented accommodation along with his wife Poonam and sons Raj Singh and Prabhat Singh.

The incident came to light when their landlord, Praveen Kumar knocked at their door after he found the family inactive in its morning schedule on Friday, claimed Singh.

Praveen Kumar was shocked to notice a "low tone" response to his calls by Ram Aashre and found the family unconscious after peeping inside their room.

He subsequently raised an alarm and broke open the door, that was bolted from inside. Neighbours assembled at the spot and subsequently the police was informed, said the ACP.

The unconscious family was rushed to Military Hospital were Poonam and Raj Singh were declared dead. Two victims - Ram Aashre and his younger son Prabhat Singh - are struggling for life in hospital.

Investigating officer (IO) ASI Vijay Kumar, while talking to The Tribune, said the family had burnt a coal hearth inside its room, leaving no ventilation, resulting in the asphyxiation of the family.

The IO revealed that the condition of Ram Aashre and Prabhat Singh had improved and were said to be out of danger.

Meanwhile, the bodies were handed over to the family members, who reached here from Haryana, after post mortem examination this noon.

The police has initiated inquest proceedings in this regard.

This is not the first incident. Four migrant labourers had also fallen unconscious due to asphyxiation while sleeping in a room in Sehdev Market near Shashtri Market three days ago. The victims were rushed to the local Civil Hospital and later discharged after two days' treatment. 

Jalandhar, December 29
Following the Delhi gang rape victim's death at a Singapore hospital, a number of non-government organisations (NGOs) and various individuals held candlelight walks in different parts of the city.

Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha Youth Congress, Jalandhar, decided to set up a helpline for assisting the girls and the women in distress.

The NGOs and various individuals carried out candlelight marches at Doaba Chowk, Maqsoodan and general post office (GPO) chowk for praying to the almighty for peace to the departed soul. A number of students took part in the candlelight march at Doaba Chowk. Various intellectuals attended the same at Maqsoodan and a number of mediapersons participated in the candlelight tributes paid to Damini at the Punjab Press Club located at GPO Chowk.

The participants in these candlelight walks also sought the framing of stringent laws to tackle rapes, scientific and speedy investigations of such cases, referring of all rape cases to fast-track courts, ensuring day-to-day hearing for speedy decision and filling vacancies of judges and providing infrastructure to judiciary for ensuring the same. Some of them also expressed their views that it should also be ensured that the stringent laws should not be misused.

Meanwhile, talking to The Tribune, Lok Sabha Youth Congress (LSYC), Jalandhar, president Kaku Ahluwalia said the LSYC Jalandhar would set up a helpline within a week for assisting the girls and the women in distress.

Elaborating, Kaku said an 11-member committee would be set up soon by taking at least one member each from the nine Assembly segments falling in the Jalandhar parliamentary seat. The helpline numbers (most probably toll-free) would be issued within a week, where the girls and the women victims of rapes, eve-teasing and ragging might contact round the clock.

“Our committee will make every effort to provide them every possible help,” he added.

Kaku said the committee would also organise seminars in various education institutes, localities and in the rural areas to spread awareness. He also requested the managements of various colleges of the city to make necessary arrangements to sensitise the youth against these atrocities against women.

Jalandhar, December 29
Succumbing to the pressure built up by the Punjab Tanker Union which started an indefinite strike on Friday, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) management agreed, after four rounds of talks in the evening, that it would not allow petrol pump dealers to arrange their own tankers for ferrying the oil without making any consensus in this regard.

The Jalandhar IOC chief terminal manager Ranjan Srivastava agreed that the petrol pump dealers would be allowed to arrange their own tankers for ferrying oil only after holding talks in this regard with the union representatives, said the union state vice-president Ashok Sarin.

The union vice-president further stated that the IOC management had also agreed to provide them enhanced commission.

Following which, the union decided to end its indefinite strike.

Phagwara, December 29
Terming the Rs 65 increase in the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat as a mockery with the farmers of the country, the BJP state president and MLA Ashwani Sharma, BJP Legislative Group leader Bhagat Chunni Lal and Punjab BJP general secretary and political advisor to CM Kamal Sharma said while the input cost of wheat had spiralled in the last one year, the increase of the MSP was too minimal to meet it.

They said due to the rise in the prices of fuel, pesticides, urea, electricity etc in the last one year, the input cost had increased by 20 per cent, while the MSP had been increased by only Rs 65. It had now increased from the last year’s MSP of Rs 1,285 to Rs 1,350. With Rs 1,350 as the MSP, wheat farming had become a loss-making proposition for the farmers.

The BJP leaders questioned the silence of Punjab Congress President Captain Amarinder Singh and other Congress leaders on this issue. Captain, instead of raising voice against this injustice meted out to farmers, remained silent on both occasions, first when in October 2012 the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP) had recommended not to increase the MSP of wheat and now when the Central Government had increased the MSP by mere Rs 65, alleged the BJP Leaders.

Punjab Congress and its president Captain Amarinder are interested only in raising the issues of political convenience. They said if the Punjab Congress really thought itself to be pro-farmer, it should raise voice against Central Government and demand better MSP for the farmers.

They added that by raising law and order issues in Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh wants to divert the inefficiency of the UPA-governed Central Government.

Kisan Morcha BJP national media in charge Vineet Joshi said the Congress had always made a scapegoat of the farming community to serve business houses. He demanded that the government should withdraw the Rs 65 hike, reconsider it and on the basis of the Swaminatham Commission recommendations give Rs 2,100 as the MSP on wheat.

Kapurthala, December 29
A city hotelier and industrialist has accused Sultanpur Lodhi Congress MLA Navtej Singh Cheema of abusing him on his mobile on Friday evening.

Denying the charges, Cheema alleged that the hotelier Pushotam Singh Sidhu had called his PA and cousin on Thursday evening and used abusive language against him during his conversation with them.

Meanwhile, Sidhu submitted a written complaint against Cheema to the Bhalana police post falling under the Sultanpur Lodhi police station. Elaborating, Sidhu told The Tribune, “I supported Cheema during the recent Assembly elections and several industrialists of the area also backed him at my behest.”

Himself a Congressman, Sidhu further stated, “Now they contacted me in connection with their various problems, including interrupted power supply. At this, I tried to contact Cheema on his mobile several times, but he did not answer my calls. Subsequently, I called his PA and cousin on Thursday evening and expressed my anger.”

“Subsequently, Cheema called me on my mobile (number 9781102030) from his mobile (number 9872213256) at 3.14 pm on Friday and abused me like anything,” he added.

Following which, he submitted a complaint to the Bhalana police post in charge for taking legal action in this regard.

On the other hand, the first-time MLA Cheema said he had also asked the Kapurthala police to investigate the matter in a fair manner and to record the statement of his PA and cousin with whom Sidhu had used abusive language for him.

The young MLA also put a question mark regarding Sidhu’s claim of supporting him during the Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, Sidhu said he had not used abusive language against Cheema while talking to his PA and cousin on Thursday.

While Sultanpur Lodhi DSP Mandeep Singh was on leave, concerned SHO Iqbal Singh told The Tribune, “We are getting the call details of the mobile numbers concerned. Appropriate legal action will be taken after property investigating the matter.”

Jalandhar, December 29
Most of the citizens preferred to remain indoors as cold wave continued to lash the region. Further, there was no possibility of any respite from the chilly winter as cloudy and partly cloudy weather was forecast for the next 24 hours with occasional fog.

Most of the citizens, except those having urgent work, remained indoors. Those who walked out of their premises tried to keep themselves warm with wearing woollen clothes and covering their heads and hands properly.

Besides many shop-keepers and rickhshaw pullers were seen huddled around bonfires to keep themselves warm in the chilly winter.

The vehicles, especially on the highway, were run at comparatively slow speed especially on the highway due to poor visibility and the cold wave. Interestingly, tea and peanut sellers had a field day today. A tea seller near Nehru Garden Chowk road said, “I have sold over 350 cups today ,whereas I usually sell around 125 cups a day.” Similar was the case of peanut sellers.

Meanwhile, the lowest temperature was recorded in Adampur in Jalandhar district as 8.4 degree Celsius, the same in Amritsar was 6 degree Celsius, in Halwara 8.2, in Pathankot the minimum temperature was recorded as 11.6 degree Celsius.

There is possibility that the cold wave will continue to lash the region during the next 24 hours, as according to the weather forecast, cloudy and partly cloudy weather with occasional fog is expected in the region. 

Jalandhar, December 29
The education cell of the traffic wing of the city police, in collaboration with the Sadar police, fixed light reflectors on over 100 tractor-trailers in Jamsher, near here, today.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (City-II) PS Bhangal said under the drive launched by the city police to prevent accidents due to fog and mist, the light reflectors were fixed on the vehicles and the public was also educated about the beat system introduced in the city.

The drive would be carried out in the Model Town and Western area in the coming days. Reflectors would also be fixed on two and four-wheelers, besides other vehicles and carts on roads, he added.

Jalandhar, December 29
He is the scion of a musical tradition which has rung in our ancient temples and now is the glory of the present-day stage.

Representing the Darbhanga Gharana, Prem Kumar Mallick is the 12th generation scion of the Senia tradition. A professor at Allahabad University, he was trained in Dhrupad by his father Pt Vidhur Mallick.

Vocalist Pt Chhanu Lal Mishra performs during the 137th Shree Baba Harivallabh Sangeet Sammlan in Jalandhar on Friday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

His ancestors were temple musicians and later his predecessors, Pt Sukhdev Mallick and Pt Ram Chatur Mallick, became court musicians under the patronage of the court of Darbhanga.

Talking about the techniclaities of the Mallick Parampara that they represent, Mallick says, "The Dhrupad traditions we represent are expressed primarily by the means of the Khandarhaar and Gaurhaar vanis."

"The speciality of this tradition is that it is marked by intricate laykaris and patterns marked by the gamak," they shared.

While Mallick started singing at the age of six, he has been singing for the past over 45 years. He presently teaches his two sons Parshant and Nishant Mallick and his many disciples.

Speaking whether the change in times causes him to guard the sensitive tradition that he represents, Mallick says, "Times are changing indeed and many people are keen to go for shortcuts, but the Dhrupad traditions are laid on a firm foundation and, thankfully, changing times haven't affected them adversely. Rather their purity and beauty pull more and more people towards them." 

Jalandhar, December 29
While a spate of rape incidents have rocked different parts of the country, an unidentified person molested a woman bank employee in full public view in Green Model Town area on Thursday.

Though the victim was reluctant to lodge a formal complaint with the police, a first information report (FIR) under Sections 354 of the Indian Penal Code was lodged at the Division No. 7 police station.

Station house officer Som Nath, while talking to The Tribune, said Malkiat Singh Multani, who is the victim’s colleague, informed the police about the incident.

He said hailing from Bhagalpur in Bihar, the victim was an employee of Punjab and Sindh Bank and posted at the Model Town branch and was undergoing training here for the past couple of months. She, along with three other girls, was putting up in a rented accommodation in the Green Model Town area, the SHO added.

Som Nath said the victim had not given any complaint in writing, but a case had been registered in this regard.

Narrating the incident, the girl said that someone had been chasing her in the market and blindfolded her with his hands from behind. She, however, expressed her inability to recognise the molester, the SHO added.