B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Detention of man from outside Badals’ residence
FIR lodged against ASI, Akali sarpanch
Muktsar, April 5
The police today booked an ASI posted at Lambi police station and an Akali sarpanch of Sehna Khera village for illegally detaining an elderly man, that too from outside the Chief Minister’s residence in Badal village, on March 30.

Admn to change location of new judicial complex at Moga
Moga, April 5
Inspecting judge of the Moga district sessions division, Justice KC Puri of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, has said that the state government has been requested to acquire 12 acres of land for the construction of an ultra-modern new judicial complex and residential colony for the judicial officers on the outskirts of the Moga city.

HC lists PIL on Abohar land scam for April 23
Abohar, April 5
Even as the main opposition party, the Congress and the partner in ruling alliance, Bharatiya Janata Party, had jointly demanded a high-level inquiry in to the alleged "water works land grab", the state government had failed to respond since a close relative of the ruling Badals is allegedly involved in the scam, said Sunil Jakhar, leader of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP).

Two youths booked for abducting minor girl
Fazilka, April 5
The Fazilka police has booked two youths for abducting a minor girl in Dabwala Kalan village of the sub-division today. The father of the girl, in a statement given to the Arniwala police, said two youths of the village, Darshan Ram and Gulzar Singh, allegedly abducted his minor daughter to marry her. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ram Parkash said the youths and the minor girl had eloped on March 24 from the village and have not returned so far. The police has launched a search and conducted raids at their possible hideouts. The youths have been booked under Sections 363 and 366-A of the IPC. OC

2 run over by trains
Abohar, April 5
Two persons were run over by trains in separate incidents. Bhanwari Devi of Panjpeer Nagar was run over by a goods train near the Seetogunno level crossing here today. Her son Roop Singh told the police that she had gone to collect firewood along the rail track but fell on the rail line while trying to carry the bundle. The body has been shifted to the Civil Hospital for conducting postmortem examination. In another mishap, Multan Singh (55), a esident of Ludhiana, was run over by a goods train on the Hanumangarh-Raziasar section, the GRP said. He had been working as a cobbler and had returned from Ludhiana by bus last night. OC

Barnala SDM’s services terminated
Barnala, April 5
The services of the Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM), Barnala, Paramjit Singh Padda, who was on contract till June 30 next, were terminated by the state government with immediate effect. No reasons were assigned for the decision. When contacted over the phone tonight, Barnala Deputy Commissioner Dr Indu Malhotra confirmed the termination of services of Padda. She said she had received a fax message in this regard from the state government today. TNS

Ex-soldier killed in mishap
Muktsar, April 5
An ex-soldier was killed in a road mishap this afternoon near the railway overbridge in Malout. Sources said Darshan Singh (65), a resident of Bhullarwala village, was going to Ghumiara Khera village on his scooty, when he came under a truck and died on the spot. The police has started investigations in this regard. TNS

Detention of man from outside Badals’ residence
FIR lodged against ASI, Akali sarpanch
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, April 5
The police today booked an ASI posted at Lambi police station and an Akali sarpanch of Sehna Khera village for illegally detaining an elderly man, that too from outside the Chief Minister’s residence in Badal village, on March 30.

According to the FIR lodged at Lambi police station, ASI Gurdeep Singh and sarpanch Jaswant Singh had allegedly confined Gurdev Singh of Sehna Khera following a minor dispute related to a drain that passed through the complainant’s street.

“We had a minor dispute with the village sarpanch, who was trying to close a drain passing through our street. We first approached the police and met ASI Gurdeep Singh, but he told us that there was no alternative except to close it. Thereafter, we met Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal who assured us of justice. But my brother-in-law Seera Singh, who was standing outside Badal’s house, said the sarpanch and the ASI had come and forcibly taken my father away in a jeep," said Gora Singh, son of the victim.

“We immediately rushed to the police station and met a munshi there, who told us that the ASI had brought my father to the police station, but had taken him out. When we came out of the police station, we found that the ASI and the sarpanch were sitting at a tea stall along with my father, but he was lying unconscious. Before we could reach, the cop and sarpanch went away from there.”

The complainant further said he took his father to a hospital in Bathinda and later to a hospital in Faridkot, where he was under treatment.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Muktsar, Surjit Singh said, “Acting upon the complaint lodged by the victim’s son, we have registered a case against the ASI and the sarpanch for allegedly detaining an elderly person. Though no arrest has been made so far, an inquiry has been marked to the DSP Malout to investigate the matter thoroughly.”

Meanwhile, the sarpanch is learnt to have approached the police and given in writing that he was falsely being implicated in the case.

Admn to change location of new judicial complex at Moga
Kulwinder Sandhu/TNS

Moga, April 5
Inspecting judge of the Moga district sessions division, Justice KC Puri of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, has said that the state government has been requested to acquire 12 acres of land for the construction of an ultra-modern new judicial complex and residential colony for the judicial officers on the outskirts of the Moga city.

Justice Puri was talking to a section of the media on his arrival here to inspect the working and functioning of the judicial courts in the district on Friday.

The Punjab government had earlier issued a notification to acquire the said land falling under the revenue area of Duneke village under the provisions of Section-6 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, on September 21, 2011.

But some local residents filed a petition before the high court that the district administration had not compensated them at the new market rate. Moreover, due to the implementation of the model code of conduct for the general assembly elections of 2012, the money could not be disbursed among the farmers.

In fact, the public works department (PWD) had also deposited a sum of Rs 6.05 crore with the Sub-Divisional Magistrate-cum-Land Acquisition Collector, Moga, on January 31, 2012 to disburse the compensation amount among the farmers from whom the land was being acquired, revealed a senior official of the Public Works Department.

After the interference of the high court, the district administration changed the proposed site and has now decided to acquire 12 acres of land in the revenue area of Ghal Kalan village on the national highway.

A senior official of the district administration revealed that the collector has again assessed the market rate and prepared a detailed report on it. The case file has been sent to the state government for issuing a fresh notification after which the land will be acquired by the administration.

The official said a sum of Rs 6.05 crore was available with the district administration but it was not sufficient to acquire the land at the prevailing market rate. The administration would require at least Rs 7.5 crore more to acquire the land, which means that the cost of acquisition has more than doubled in two years, putting extra burden on the state exchequer.

Presently, the judicial complex is in the heart of the town but due to the increase in the number of courts and the setting up of sessions division besides the growing number of advocates, the land is falling short of meeting the requirements.

The judicial courts were also shifted about a decade back from the main square of the town to its present location after the formation of the district. But the present premises also fell short of accommodating the courts and the advocates.

HC lists PIL on Abohar land scam for April 23
Our Correspondent

Abohar, April 5
Even as the main opposition party, the Congress and the partner in ruling alliance, Bharatiya Janata Party, had jointly demanded a high-level inquiry in to the alleged "water works land grab", the state government had failed to respond since a close relative of the ruling Badals is allegedly involved in the scam, said Sunil Jakhar, leader of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP).

Addressing party workers at his residence here, Jakhar said the two parties had submitted a memorandum to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal since the latter had assured in the Vidhan Sabha two years back that no one would be allowed to take possession of the multi-crore prime land. He regretted that he was not invited to any of the functions of the Deputy CM here yesterday whereas the former Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla had acknowledged the protocol by inviting him to the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Civil Hospital complex.

Jakhar informed that freedom fighter Uttam Chand Saneja along with Rakesh Kumar, Ganesh Kumar and Manoj Kumar Jatolia, all locals, have now filed a PIL in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking investigation into the land scam by the CBI. A division bench headed by Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri has tagged the PIL with the pending appeal filed by the Municipal Council for hearing on April 23.

Jakhar said an independent inquiry might equate the scam with the one that was detected in Patiala resulting in action against senior officials and private players.