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Gurdaspur MP Partap Bajwa is new Punjab Congress president Chandigarh, March 5 Newly appointed Punjab Pradesh Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa today assured Congress men that he would not form a group within the party but would take everyone along. |
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Tarn Taran Assault Case
Dismiss guilty cops: Victim
Man who shot video living in fear
Voices against police brutality
A day after the accident, police officials challan a school bus for overloading students in Jalandhar on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh
381 accident-prone points in state, maximum in Gurdaspur
'Molested' by neighbours, Dalit girl sets herself afire
5 days on, govt staff yet to get salaries
Ailment during service
Farmers’ protest to hit rail traffic in Punjab today
Compensation hiked for land acquired 25 yrs ago
3 BRD gears up to get
President’s Standards
Fund shortage hits PRTC’s kilometre scheme
4 students still in hospital
Day after inmate’s escape, Jail Dy Supdt suspended
Lovers commit suicide in Moga
Patiala land
scam
Visitors allege inconvenience at suvidha centres
Class XII
exam
ASI’s murder: Robinjeet cross-examined
Waraich gurdwara foundation laid
Patiala land scam: Accused joins probe
10 minors facing trial before juvenile boards in rape cases
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Gurdaspur MP Partap Bajwa is new Punjab Congress president Chandigarh, March 5 The Congress had been vacillating on changing Capt Amarinder Singh for nearly a year. The choice was always between Partap Singh Bajwa, who was appointed PCC president today, and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Jagmeet Singh Brar. Sources said the Congress high command was convinced that the party would have to appoint a Jat Sikh to the post. The sources said a number of factors tilted the balance in Bajwa’s favour. He is relatively young and the party is looking for someone who can be its face in the state for the next decade or so. The party was keen to have a full-time politician actively involved in state politics. Bajwa met this condition too. He has been in active politics since 33 years when he was made the Youth Congress president. He is a four-time minister. Bajwa’s stature in the party has gone up in recent years because of his electoral successes. He was able to win the Gurdaspur parliamentary seat by defeating BJP candidate and cine star Vinod Khanna. He successfully defended his assembly seat and was able to ensure the election of his wife from Qadian in the last assembly elections. Jagmeet Brar lost out to Bajwa because of the Moga byelection result. The fact that Congress candidate Vijay Sathi, who was his protégé, lost the elections was a personal blow to Jagmeet who has fought two parliamentary elections from the area. His reduced popularity in the state after a prolonged period of absence was noted by the high command with reports filtering in that he was ploughing a lonely furrow in favour of Sathi in the Moga bypoll. The fact that he has thrice failed to win a parliamentary seat has also gone against him. The sources said the Congress high command, after deciding to bring in a fresh face in the state, did not want to bank on Brar whose nomination could have also resulted in infighting. The sources said what went against Amarinder Singh was his age and repeated defeats which left the party cadre demoralised. During Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Punjab in October last year, a view had emerged that to take on the Akalis effectively, the party needed a hands-on leader who was easily accessible. What went in his favour
Steady Rise 29 January, 1957:
Partap Singh Bajwa born at Qadian Education: Indian School Certificate from Punjab Public School in 1973; BA from DAV College, Chandigarh in 1977; LLB from DAV College, Dehradun in 1980 Political appointments:
1978: President, District Youth Congress, Gurdaspur 1980: Vice-President, Punjab Youth Congress 1983:
President, Punjab Youth Congress 1992: Elected MLA 1994:
Made Minister of State for Information, Public Relations and Agriculture 1995:
Made Minister of State for PWD, Information and Public Relations 1996:
Made PWD Minister 1996: Made Jails Minister 2002-07:
PWD Minister 2009: Elected MP from Gurdaspur
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Bajwa: No coterie, will take everyone along Chandigarh, March 5 Talking to The Tribune after being nominated PCC chief, he hinted at how his tenure would be different from that of the outgoing chief. He said he wanted to assure all Congress men that he would not form a coterie. "You will feel the difference," he remarked. Bajwa said his first and biggest challenge was to motivate thousands of Congress workers come out of their homes and take on the Akalis. “I promise to fight for the rights of workers,” he said. He said he would keep the Akalis on their toes and ensure the party functioned as an effective Opposition. The Congress leader admitted that he had been given a difficult assignment. “It is an uphill task,” he said. Nevertheless, he said he had faith in the policies of the party as well as the commitment of party workers to come out victorious. He said he would be relying on the youth power to act as a catalyst for change in Punjab. “The youth must rise to the challenge,” he said. Bajwa thanked party president Sonia Gandhi for reposing faith in him. He said 33 years ago, the late Rajiv Gandhi had appointed him president of the Punjab Youth Congress. Bajwa, however, said he did not know what had tilted the balance in his favour.
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Nothing will change Cong’s fortunes: SAD Chandigarh, March 5 The SAD president, Sukhbir Singh Badal, when contacted, said Bajwa's appointment as PCC president would not make any difference to the fortunes of the Congress in Punjab. “The Congress is a dead organisation in Punjab. The people of the state have already rejected it. Making A or B as president will not change anything,” he said. Youth Akali Dal president and minister Bikram Majithia said the Punjab Congress had moved away from the people’s issues and that it could not return to centre stage by making any ‘cosmetic’ changes in leadership. Former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh made way for the new state unit chief by expressing gratitude to the party and the people of Punjab for standing by him during the past 15 years. Claiming that he would always cherish the love and affection showered on him by party workers, he said he would continue to work for strengthening the party. Even while going down, the Pradesh Congress chief chose to remind the people that he had led the party successfully for several years, saying he had got the support of the people as PCC president twice and as the Chief Minister once, besides leading the party’s Lok Sabha election campaign in 2009. Anandpur Sahib MP Ravneet Bittu, welcoming Bajwa's appointment, said the entire youth leadership in Punjab would support the latter in taking over the Akalis. He said the party cadre was confident that Bajwa would take on the Akalis effectively.
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Tarn Taran Assault Case
Top police functionaries, at a press conference here today, offered an "apology for the unfortunate incident." At the same time, they alleged that the girl, who was thrashed by men in khaki, and her family members had misbehaved with some taxi drivers and the police and used unparliamentary language. Sumedh Singh Saini, state police chief, said: " Preliminary investigations show that the victim's family members behaved in a manner that aggravated the situation. But it was wrong on the part of the policemen to hit the girl." The Director-General of Police (DGP) did not have a clear answer as to why only two policemen had been suspended when the MMS clip showed the girl being beaten up by at least nine policemen. "I have not as yet seen the clipping. We will give a definite answer once we get the report of an inquiry being conducted by the Tarn Taran Superintendent of Police (SP) within three weeks," he said. Prepare report: Capt Meanwhile, Pradesh Congress chief Amarinder Singh has asked party leaders Rana Gurjit Singh to look into all aspects of the Tarn Taran incident. He has been told to meet the victim, her family and eyewitnesses and submit a report. He has also asked Sukhpal Khaira to file a fact-finding report on the tragic accident near Nakodar yesterday in which 13 schoolchildren were killed.
Book cops: Jakhar Talking to mediapersons after meeting the victim's family, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leader Sunil Jakhar said there seemed to be "Taliban rule" in the state where the police was the judge and the executioner. He said even if the police claim that the victim had misbehaved with some policemen was true, the police should have booked her and let her face the law. "Nothing can justify such a brutal assault on a woman by police personnel in broad daylight." He demanded that all the police personnel seen in the video footage and the area be dismissed and booked. He said the Congress would raise the issue on the floor of the assembly. He demanded a police complaint authority at the block level. "There should be a proper system in place to hold the police accountable," he said. Jakhar was accopanied by Rana Gurjit Singh, Harminder Singh Gill and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. Congress activists staged a dharna and burnt an effigy of the government. Leaders of the Left parties also visited the village and raised slogans against the government.
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Dismiss guilty cops: Victim
Usma (Tarn Taran), March 5 Talking to mediapersons, she said "mere suspension of a couple of policemen" would not do. “There were at least 17 policemen who brutally thrashed my family members without provocation. All of them can be seen in the video footage. The government should dismiss them and put them in jail,” said the victim and her father Kashmir Singh, an ex-serviceman. Kashmir Singh showed injury marks on his back. He alleged that the policemen took away Rs 18,000 in cash, two gold rings and a pair of earrings in the melee outside a marriage hall on Sunday. Narrating the sequence of events, the victim said she had gone to Punjab International Marriage Palace in Tarn Taran to attend the wedding of her cousin Gurvinder Singh, a resident of Naushehra Pannuan. Trouble began when taxi drivers Sahib Singh and Shoshi made lewd comments on her. “I told my brother about it and he confronted them. After a few minutes, the two returned with six unidentified armed men and started thrashing my father and brother.” She said the accused ran away as soon as the police arrived on the scene. " Without even determining as to what had transpired, the policemen pounced on us. Initially, there were five of them. Later, they were joined by a dozen more. They thrashed me, my father, brothers and cousins.” But police officials claim that it all began in the morning when the victim and two other women asked a taxi driver to drop them home and an argument ensued. The matter was resolved when the victim's brothers intervened. But there was fresh trouble later in the day. A police official said the victim misbehaved with a policemen, removing his turban, leading to the police action. He, however, said the policemen should not have thrashed the woman. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Daljit Singh Dhillon said the matter had been sorted out with the victim’s family tendering a written apology on Sunday evening, a claim denied by the victim’s father. Her cousin, Jagjeet Singh, however, said they had signed the apology under police pressure. The DSP said the bride’s father, Satpal Singh, had called them up, seeking help. He said that Satpal Singh had called the police in the morning too, apprehending that a scuffle may break out as some people were in an inebriated condition. Satpal Singh is a police constable posted at a Tarn Taran court. When contacted, he denied he had called the police. The police has booked Sahib Singh, Shoshi and six unidentified persons under Sections 354, 323, 506, 148 and 149, IPC, and Section 3/4 of the SC/ST Act, for caste remarks against the victim.
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Man who shot video living in fear
Usma (Tarn Taran), March 5 Jagjeet Singh said when he saw policemen thrashing his cousin sister, her father and brothers, he took out a video camera. “I shot the incident as I knew that without any clinching evidence, the policemen would not only walk free, but also implicate us in a false case.” Jagjeet Singh claims to have worked as a cameraman with a news channel. He said the police took away his camera and his mobile phone but didn’t check the contents. He said that after detaining them for hours, the police pressured them into signing a written apology after which they returned his camera and mobile. Jagjeet Singh said he feared that the police would implicate him or his brother in a case. “ If anything happens to me or my family, the state police will be responsible for it," he added.
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Voices against police brutality
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Jalandhar School Van Accident
Jalandhar, March 5 And this despite claims by District Transport Officer Dalwinder Jit Singh that the vehicle owner was responsible for any violations in the event of a transport arrangement between him and parents. After the accident, the school authorities had shirked its responsibility by citing that the victims’ parents had arranged the vehicle at their own end. The school van was owned by Rupinder Pal Singh of Guhira village and it used to ferry the students of Akal Academy, Boparai Kalan. Among the violations on Rupinder’s part were not getting school permit for the van, a fitness certificate, painting it in yellow colour, not getting school name and phone number printed on it and most importantly, allowing it to be driven by a driver who did not possess a licence. Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajinder Singh, who is investigating the case, said Gurdeep Singh, brother of deceased driver Vishal, told him that he had bought the van from Rupinder Pal and was making the payment by way of installments. But the vehicle, the SP said, was still in the name of Rupinder Pal. Asked if he had initiated any action against Rupinder Pal, the police officer said he did not think there was any major violation on his part. “At present, we are on the lookout for the driver of the truck, which was involved in a head-on collision with the van that was carrying the students. We expect to arrest him soon.” Deputy Commissioner Shruti Singh said she could not comment on the matter as she was still awaiting a report on the accident from Nakodar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Jasvir Singh. "I have already asked the District Education Officer and the District Transport Officer to furnish details about buses being used by various schools and how many challans were issued against violations recently," she said. Norms ignored
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Driver may have been on drugs
Jalandhar, March 5 Police sources said drugs were found near the driver's seat, which indicated that he might be under its influence. Vishal had reportedly started driving the van about a fortnight ago. The claim, however, was denied by Jalandhar (Rural) Superintendent of Police Rajinder Singh. He said efforts were on to ascertain the cause behind the accident. The van driver's viscera had been sent to forensic science laboratory in Mohali for investigation, he said. Sarpanch of Mudda village, which lost five children in the accident, Joginder Singh claimed that Vishal was in the habit of driving the van at a very high speed. "I told him several times to drive the van slowly, but he never paid any heed to my advice. Had he done so, his life and that of the 13 schoolchildren could have been saved." About any checks on rash driving, the police officer said, "We keep on organising special campaigns to check any violations by drivers."
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381 accident-prone points in state, maximum in Gurdaspur
Muktsar, March 5
Gurdaspur is followed by Batala with 37 such sites; with 33 each, Ludhiana and Sangrur come next. The Khanna police district also has 17 such sites. Roopnagar is having 13 whereas Patiala roads are comparatively less prone to accidents, having 10 such identified points. Perusal of the data revealed that there are nine accident-prone areas each in Nawanshahr and Fatehgarh Sahib, eight in Hoshiarpur and seven in Jalandhar. Tarn Taran, Barnala, Faridkot and Kapurthala police districts have five such points each, whereas Amritsar (rural) and Moga have four risk sites. Ludhiana (rural) is having three whereas Muktsar and Jalandhar (rural) districts do not even have a single such site. A retired senior traffic police officer said accident-prone areas were due to the lack of planning and cooperation between various government departments while constructing new roads. "It can only be solved by widening the roads and clearing bottlenecks," he claimed.
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'Molested' by neighbours, Dalit girl sets herself afire Faridkot, March 5 Daughter of a rickshaw-puller, the victim sustained 90 per cent burns and is battling for life at the local Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital. The police has arrested three of the accused, who lived in her neighbourhood, while two others are absconding. In their complaint to the police, the victim’s family members alleged that when the girl objected to their behaviour today, they beat her up. After the incident, the girl allegedly sprinkled kerosene on her clothes and tried to immolate herself. She was rushed to the hospital by her family members and neighbours. Her condition was stated to be critical. The victim’s parents alleged that the girl was scared even to step out of her house due to constant harassment and molestation by the accused.
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5 days on, govt staff yet to get salaries
Chandigarh, March 5 While the cash-strapped state government has failed to provide any specific date when the salaries would be credited, employees have been finding it tough to manage their day-to-day expenses. Official sources said the salaries will arrive by Thursday, but employees claim they had been receiving such assurances since Monday. There was a delay last month too, but it was on account of a technical glitch. Punjab Civil Secretariat Staff Association president Paramdeep Singh Bhabat said, “I joined government service in 1990 and never before have salaries been delayed by so many days. Government job, it appears, is no longer that secure.” Bhabat said the salaried class people eagerly await their pay as they have most of their monthly expenditure lined for the first week of every month. The Punjab Civil Secretariat Staff Association chief said the present situation reflected the “poor handling” of the administrative affairs by the top bureaucracy. “Able administrators keep a corpus of at least six months for the salaries of their staff,” he averred. An official of the principal secretary rank said, “Not only this month, a similar situation can arise in future as well. As Punjab does not have any corpus as financial backing, the state government may again face an uphill task in assuring timely salaries to its employees.” Sources said the government needs about Rs 1,700 crore to disburse employee salaries. As it is in a negative of Rs 600 crore vis-a-vis the Reserve Bank of India, the state government needs Rs 1,100 crore to tide over the current crisis. Even if the quarterly excise returns — to be received this month — of Rs 800 to Rs 900 crore are taken into account, the government will still be short of a few hundred crores. An employee, Jaspreet Singh, said their union representatives were told by top officials in the Excise and Taxation Department that even the Chief Minister, the Governor, the judges and top bureaucrats had not been paid so far.
Cash crunch
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Ailment during service
Chandigarh, March 5 Referring to the Entitlement Rules for Casualty Pensionary Awards, Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain asserted: "Unless it is established that the disease is one which arises and progresses independently of service or environmental factor, the presumption is to be drawn in favour of the employee who entered the service in robust health and without any disease, that the disease subsequently contracted by him is either attributable to or aggravated by military service". Taking up a petition for disability pension by former Armyman Rohtash, the Bench added: "A conjoint reading of the provision would also disclose the parameters for deciding whether the disability is attributed to or aggravated by military service. “If while entering military service, physical disability is not noted or recorded during intensive medical check up, it is to be presumed that the entrant joined the service with sound physical and mental condition. If he is discharged on medical ground, it is to be presumed that the medical condition was due to service". The Bench added in a case where it was established that the conditions of military service did not determine or contribute to the onset of disease, but the service was influenced by subsequent course of the disease, it would be presumed that that the ailment was aggravated during military service. "In that case, it is to be established that the conditions of military service were such that it determined or contributed to the onset of the disease and that the conditions were due to circumstances of duty in military service. Here it needs to be examined whether onset or progress of disease was due to environmental factors related to service conditions. "In those type of medical conditions which are unknown, the presumption in favour of the official concerned would apply, unless it is shown that the disease is one which arises and progresses independently of service or environmental factor". Dismissing the petition, the Bench added: "Having regard to the medical literacy on this nature of disease, pelvic lipomatosis, it is difficult to relate the same to the military service".
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Farmers’ protest to hit rail traffic in Punjab today
Patiala, March 5 Following reports of the planned dharna by farmer unions, all district police chiefs and reserve battalions have been told to remain vigilant. Sources said as a precautionary measure, additional police force had been withdrawn from various places to keep a vigil at railway stations. Activists of the farmer unions would halt trains at various parts in the state. The sources said no train movement would be allowed for two hours tomorrow. "We have decided to block trains from 1 pm to 3 pm tomorrow. No train will be allowed to enter or exit the state," said an activist. The district police will hold nakas to check the movement of union members. "A meeting of all officers was today held by the Patiala SSP. He issued necessary directions to the police force," said an official who attended the meeting. The sources said 17 farmer unions, including the Bharti Kisan Union Ekta (Dakaunda), Jamhoori Kissan Sabha, Kissan Sangharsh Committee, Kirti Kissan Union, Punjab Kissan Union and Bhartiya Kissan Union Ekta (Ugrahan) will hold protest on railway tracks in the state. The unions are demanding an increase in the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat as per the Swaminathan Committee report, subsidies for diesel and farm products that had lead to high input costs for farmers. "We will hold protests on a regular basis all this month in the state. On April 2, we will move to Delhi to hold a protest outside Parliament," said Jagmohan Singh, a senior office-bearer of the Bharti Kissan Union (Dakaunda).
On warpath
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Compensation hiked for land acquired 25 yrs ago
Chandigarh, March 5 Acting on an appeal filed by Sardari Lal and other appellants against the State of Punjab and other respondents, Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain enhanced the compensation from Rs 540 per marla to Rs 2,000 per marla. Proceedings for the acquisition of land were initiated by the State of Punjab with the issuance of a notification on June 2, 1978, under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act. The land was proposed to be acquired in the revenue estates of Sheikhupura and Kapurthala. After issuance of notification under Section 6 of the Act and consideration of objections filed by the landowners, award was also passed by the Land Acquisition Collector in January 1979 at the rate of Rs 15,600 per acre for land acquired in Sheikhupura village. Taking up a reference, a Kapurthala court gave its judgment in August 1986, but refused to enhance the compensation. The matter was taken up in appeal by a Single Judge of the High Court, who enhanced the compensation to Rs 540 per marla on the basis of another judgment passed in another matter arising out of same notification. Challenging the order before the Division Bench, the landowners sought compensation at the rate of Rs 12,000 per marla. As the case came up for hearing, the Division Bench observed that the amount of compensation had been enhanced from Rs 540 per marla to Rs 2,000 per marla by a coordinate Bench in the other matter. "In view of the judgment, the compensation is enhanced to Rs 2,000 per marla in the instant case itself, which shall be paid to the appellants/landowners within a period of two months, along with all statutory benefits. Consequently, this appeal is partly allowed in the aforesaid terms," the Bench asserted before parting with the orders.
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3 BRD gears up to get
President’s Standards
Chandigarh, March 5 Besides the presentation of the Standards, release of a First Day Cover, fly-past and performance by Sarang helicopter display team are on the day's itinerary, sources said. The station is getting a facelift and the offices and mess are being spruced up for the upcoming event. The officers are putting in long hours for making administrative and logistics arrangements, working out details, fine-tuning procedures and carrying out rehearsals. Besides Defence Minister AK Antony, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, Air Officers Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command and Maintenance Command, Air Marshal Arup Raha and Air Marshal Jagdish Chandra, Director General Medical Services (Air) and a host of senior armed forces officers and civilian dignitaries would be present on the occasion. In military ethos, the award of the President's Standards is considered as one of the biggest honours to be bestowed upon a unit or establishment in recognition of exceptional service rendered by it, both during war and in peace. 3 BRD is the third among the IAF's 13 depots to receive the Standards. AFCME is a specialised medical evaluation centre for aircrew of all the three services of the armed forces, paramilitary organisations, government agencies and civil aviation establishments. Set up in Lahore under the Royal Indian Air Force to conduct the medical examination and assessment of aircrew for flying fitness, it moved to New Delhi in 1942.
About 3 BRD
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Fund shortage hits PRTC’s kilometre scheme
Patiala, March 5 Sewa Singh Saroa, vice-president, Kilometer Scheme Bus Operators Association, said: "Though the management had assured us timely payment, we have not received any amount for the past five months. Many of us have defaulted on repayment of bank loans". He said almost 100 kilometre scheme buses had been taken off roads and if this continued, no private operator would run his bus under the scheme. "The banks have already initiated action against many operators due to non-payment of loan installments," Sarao said. As per the contract, the PRTC management is to pay Rs 6.59 per km to the bus owners every fortnight. DPS Kharbanda, managing director, PRTC, said: "Last month, the association members had agreed that every depot will be given Rs 5 lakh per day and the payment is being made on a daily basis. Their monthly expenditure is Rs 2 crore and we are already paying them Rs 1.5 crore. The remaining amount of Rs 50 lakh for each month will be released after the state government clears our payment of Rs 9 crore against free travel".
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4 students still in hospital
Jalandhar, March 5 Recounting the horror, Manvinder said he did not remember how he got saved. "I had lost my consciousness for a few minutes after the accident. When I woke up, a policeman was holding me and shifting me inside an ambulance. I am not sure whether the van had overturned as I just remember having seen its mangled body in an upright position," he said. Avtar Kaur said she received a call about Manvinder having been shifted to hospital but the family kept on looking for Gurvinder till afternoon, moving from one hospital to another. "Since he was unconscious, he could not even tell anyone about contacting us. Finally, a villager who was here inquiring about their child informed us about him." Akashdeep (11) is in ICU. The boy too has head injury and his left leg has got fractured. Another six-year-old child, Charanpreet of Talwandi Bharo village, was admitted at DMC Hospital in Ludhiana for a surgery.
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Day after inmate’s escape, Jail Dy Supdt suspended
Bathinda, March 5 Gurwinder Singh, alias Bindu, an under-trial in a murder case, escaped after his accomplices threw chilly powder into the eyes of the three jail guards escorting the inmate at the Civil Hospital late last night. An official statement said an inquiry has been marked to Deputy Inspector General (prisons) LS Jakhar. It said Jakhar had also been deputed as nodal officer to supervise and ensure compliance with rules and instructions regarding movement of inmates to hospitals by all superintendents of Punjab jails. Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police Ravcharan Brar said there was no development in the case so far and efforts were on to arrest the accused and his accomplices.
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Lovers commit suicide in Moga
Faridkot, March 5 The girl was adopted by her paternal uncle. "I was busy making arrangements for my daughter's marriage when I was told that she was missing from her room. We started to search for her. We were told that the bodies of a young boy and girl were hanging from a tree in the fields of the adjoining village and we rushed there," he said. A police officer investigating the case said the deceased belonged to the same community and, hence, had failed to convince their parents to their marriage. A case under Section 174 of CrPc had been registered, said Jai Pal Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector at the Ajitwal police station.
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Patiala land
scam
Patiala, March 5 In February, VB officials had arrested three accused Devinder Sandhu, Yashpal Aggarwal and Jaswant singh, the buyers of the property who played a crucial role in getting the deal executed. Deputy Commissioner Vikas Garg, an accused in the case, is yet to be nabbed.
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Visitors allege inconvenience at suvidha centres
Sangrur, March 5 They say they used to get their works done in the offices concerned in a day or two. But now they have to wait for several days for the same work. Besides, they have to spend more for application forms and payment of facilitation charges at suvidha
centres. For instance, one has to pay Rs 5 for the application form and Rs 22 as facilitation charges for getting a birth or death certificate issued. Likewise, for a caste certificate, residence or rural area certificate, one has to pay Rs 10 for application form and Rs 22 as facilitation charges. The cost of an application form for an arms licence is Rs 200 and the facilitation charges in this case are Rs 550.
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Class XII
exam
Sangrur, March 5 Nirmal Singh Sohi, District Education Officer (Secondary), Sangrur, said the DGSE suspended the master after verifying a complaint against him. He said he raided an examination centre at Mata Sahib Kaur Senior Secondary School, Amargarh-II and found mass copying by students. He said he had recommended to cancel the History paper at this
centre.
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ASI’s murder: Robinjeet cross-examined
Amritsar, March 5 Robinjeet answered all queries on the sequence of events leading to the murder boldly. Three witnesses have appeared in the court so far. Earlier, Manjit Singh, an arms branch employee, had certified that the gun used in the crime was registered in the name of main accused, Ranjit Singh
Rana.
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Waraich gurdwara foundation laid
Amritsar, March 5 Dera head Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon termed it as a move to bridge the divide between the two sides. The dera head remained at the sanctum sanctorum for about an hour during which he listened to
Gurbani. The demolition of the gurdwara had earlier sparked a
controversy and brought the dera and the Sikh outfits face-to-face.
However, the matter was amicably resolved through the dialogue between
the two sides.
— TNS
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10 minors facing trial before juvenile boards in rape cases
Chandigarh, March 5 Ludhiana with four cases tops the list of districts having trials pending against juveniles for more 12 months. It is followed by Jalandhar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Bathinda with two cases each. The list was submitted before the Bench of Justice Ranjit Singh by Harchand Singh, under secretary to Punjab Government, Department of Home Affairs and Justice, during the hearing of a petition by a Gurdaspur district resident. Appearing on a rape victim’s behalf before Justice Ranjit Singh, her counsel Ramdeep Partap Singh had alleged that unnecessarily adjournments were being taken in the rape case on one pretext or the other. Taking into consideration the fact that the rape case was registered in May 2006 and the trial was still on, Justice Ranjit Singh had summoned the details of other rape cases pending in both Punjab and Haryana. Under the Indian law, minors convicted for even heinous crimes such as rape face a maximum of three years in a detention facility. Section 15 (g) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, in fact, mandates that a juvenile aged between 16 and 18 years, if convicted of an offence, can be sentenced to be sent to a special home for a period of three years at the maximum, and, thereafter, be released on probation. A parliamentary committee has already voted against a proposal to lower the age of adult criminal responsibility to 16. The sentence limit has caused widespread anger after the Delhi gang-rape incident. The victim's family has been among those calling for the accused juvenile to be tried alongside the other accused, who face the possibility of being hanged if found guilty of murder.
No minor affair
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result went against Jagmeet
Usma (Tarn Taran), March 5
Rail passengers may have to face inconvenience tomorrow as over a dozen farmer organisations have threatened to block rail traffic across Punjab.
The Punjab Police, Government Railway Police and the Railway Protection Force have already sounded an alert in this regard.
Following reports of the planned dharna by farmer unions, all district police chiefs and reserve battalions have been told to remain vigilant.
Sources said as a precautionary measure, additional police force had been withdrawn from various places to keep a vigil at railway stations.
Chandigarh, March 5
The Tarn Taran incident belies the state government claims of zero tolerance towards acts of brutality against women. The Deputy CM, Sukhbir Badal, seems to be busy in everything else except governance
To say that a poor young girl and her old father hit a team of half a dozen menacing policemen is stretching the limits of incredulity. In Punjab, the common people are petrified at the mere sight of police 
The Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir
Badal, who is also the state Home Minister, must own moral responsibility for the incident and
resign. The brutal face of the state police patronised by the ruling elite stands exposed 
The roads of Mansa police district are not safe either. It has 28 such identified spots. Amritsar, Bathinda and Mohali districts each have 26 accident-prone points while the erstwhile Ferozepur police district, which includes
Fazilka, comes on the list with 23 such spots.