B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Bareta SHO accused of harassment
HC tells Mansa SSP to probe the charge
Chandigarh, April 11
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) to inquire into the allegations of harassment by Bareta SHO.

Taxes must to obtain Central grant: Kamal Sharma
Bathinda, April 11
Taxes were being levied in the state to fulfill the conditions for securing Central grants but efforts were on to minimise the financial burden on the people.

Police forms village-level committees to curb crime
Talwandi Sabo, April 11
Even in this age of scientific advancement in policing, cops in the Malwa region have realised the value of policing at the grassroot level and have formed village-level committees comprising watchmen and the Nambardars in the detection and prevention of crime, especially to check drug abuse.

Rape convict escapes from police custody, nabbed
Fazilka, April 11
A convict in a rape case slipped from police custody but was soon nabbed. Surjit Singh alias Kaku, a resident of village Theh Kalandar in Fazilka sub-division, slipped from police custody today in the evening here after the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Fazilka, sentenced him to seven years in jail in a case of a rape today. The convict escaped from the local bus stand while he was being shifted to Central Jail, Ferozepur.

SFJ to sponsor English version of ‘Sadda Haq’
Moga, April 11
Challenging the ban on the Punjabi movie “Sadda Haq” by the Punjab government and the other states, the US-based Sikh advocacy group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has declared it will promote and sponsor the release of the English version of the controversial movie worldwide.

BKU wants liquor vends in public places shifted
Moga, April 11
The Punjab unit of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) is up in arms against the increasing consumption of alcohol in villages and has decided to exert pressure on the state government to shut down liquor vends located at public places close to the bus stands, colleges, schools and religious places.

Army honours World War veteran
Abohar, April 11
The General Officer Commanding (GOC), Amogh Division, Major General NC Badhani has reached out to an octogenarian veteran, ex-sepoy Kaka Singh in a remotely located village 2FC of Gajsinghpur sub-tehsil in Sriganganagar district who had the unique privilege of participating in the Second World War as part of the Royal Indian Artillery. He eventually retired on August 28, 1946, prior to Independence.

Bareta SHO accused of harassment
HC tells Mansa SSP to probe the charge

Chandigarh, April 11
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) to inquire into the allegations of harassment by Bareta SHO.

The Division Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain directed the SSP to look into the allegation levelled by Satgur Singh of Bareta. The directions came on an application alleging that he was being pressurized to withdraw a PIL seeking prosecution of persons responsible for carving out an unauthorised colony at Bareta in Mansa district.

Satgur Singh alleged that he was called by SHO Yadwinder Singh and threatened with implication if he did not withdraw the PIL

On March 2, the High Court had issued notice to the Punjab Government, Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police and the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) on the petition filed in public interest for action against an upcoming unauthorised colony at Bareta-Budhlada road in Bareta.

Satgur Singh had stated that the colony is situated partly within the boundaries of Bareta Municipal Council. The portion outside fell under the Bathinda Development Authority's jurisdiction. The colonisers have not obtained sanction from the Authority before carving out the colony, he alleged.

The petitioner stated that poor people were investing money for purchasing plots in this upcoming colony. They would be ruined if the colony was to be demolished by the authorities.

Satgur also stated in the PIL that he had sent a complaint to the Mansa SSP on October 30, 2012, for taking action against the colonisers. But he has not so far received any response, and the construction of 
houses in this colony was going on unabated. — TNS

Taxes must to obtain Central grant: Kamal Sharma
Amarjit Thind
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 11
Taxes were being levied in the state to fulfill the conditions for securing Central grants but efforts were on to minimise the financial burden on the people.

Stating this, BJP chief Kamal Sharma, who was in the city on a personal visit yesterday, said the SAD- BJP alliance was not in favour of levying taxes, including house tax, but it had no option since funds from the Centre were required to carry out the massive development activities in the state.

To a query that the house tax issue would affect their vote bank in the urban areas, Sharma said this was not the case since they were looking at minimal charges and would try to offset that by concessions in some other sector. The poor would not be affected, he pointed out.

Reacting to a query on his giving a miss to the Chintan Shivir at Goa, Kamal Sharma said he was unwell. "Nothing beyond this should be read into it. The alliance is alive and is there for everyone to see," he affirmed.

The state BJP chief was effusive in his praise for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and said people look up to him to replicate the magic of Gujarat across India.

On seat sharing, he said the alliance would make a clean sweep but there had been no parleys on this issue so far. Winnability and the strength of both the parties in the rural and urban areas would be taken into account at the time of finalizing the candidates, he added.

Those present on the occasion included Gulshan Kaur Panjgrain, Dayal Sodhi, Gulshan Wadhwa, Naveen Singla and ML Garg, among others. 

Police forms village-level committees to curb crime
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Talwandi Sabo, April 11
Even in this age of scientific advancement in policing, cops in the Malwa region have realised the value of policing at the grassroot level and have formed village-level committees comprising watchmen and the Nambardars in the detection and prevention of crime, especially to check drug abuse.

With the aim of going back to basic policing while continuing with its ambitious modernisation drive, the Bathinda Zone police on Wednesday announced the setting up of police public rural co-ordination units in the about 300 villages of the district. Members of several of these units were sensitised about the programme at the police-public meeting yesterday.

Announcing the initiative at a police-public meeting at Talwandi Sabo, IG Nirmal Singh Dhillon said the units will comprise of the village Nambardar, ex-servicemen, watchmen and the local youths, especially those running clubs and the additional SHO of the police station concerned. The SP (Detective) would be the nodal officer for the smooth functioning of the units, the IG said.

In response to a query, Dhillon said the scheme has nothing to do with the impending Panchayat elections in the state, “The police has nothing to do with politics. We realised that strengthening of the human resources at the grassroots level like the village youths, the Nambardars and the watchmen was vital for the flow of information, checking drug abuse and preventing law and order problems.”

He said the aim was to make the units an interface between the public and police for an early redressal of grievances under which they can be utilised to take pre-emptive action against drugs, social tension or crime against women.

“The watchmen used to inform the police first about any death or birth in the village. The same was the case with the nambardars, who were in touch with the police and helped in the detection of fraud, land disputes and other law and order issues. They are still helping the police but we need to make them more aware about the change in policing, the schemes and especially the use of the Suvidha Centres,” Dhillon said.

The IG said the scheme that was kickstarted from Bathinda on Wednesday would be extended to all the districts in the zone like Mansa, Fazilka, Abohar, Muktsar, Faridkot, Ferozepur and Moga.

Rape convict escapes from police custody, nabbed
Our Correspondent

Fazilka, April 11
A convict in a rape case slipped from police custody but was soon nabbed. Surjit Singh alias Kaku, a resident of village Theh Kalandar in Fazilka sub-division, slipped from police custody today in the evening here after the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Fazilka, sentenced him to seven years in jail in a case of a rape today. The convict escaped from the local bus stand while he was being shifted to Central Jail, Ferozepur.

According to Ram Parkash, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Fazilka, Surjit Singh was booked for raping a girl in August 2012 under section 376 of the IPC.

Additional District and Sessions Judge, Fazilka, HS Dhaliwal sentenced him to seven years in jail today and directed the police to lodge him in Central Jail, Ferozepur.

Assistant sub-inspector Prem Chand, head constable Jarnail Singh and constable Mukhtiar Singh were escorting Surjit Singh to Ferozepur. As they reached the bus stand to board a bus for Ferozepur, Surjeet Singh who was reportedly handcuffed, gave them a slip. It is stated that the wrist of Surjeet Singh was thin as compared to the size of the setter.

However, the police personnel chased him and nabbed him on the Malout Road on the outskirts of Fazilka town.

Surjeet Singh has been booked under Section 224 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Notably, two undertrials, Sonu Jat and Sanjay alias Lakha, had also slipped from the transit police custody on December 24, 2012 when they were being brought from the Central Jail in Ferozepur to appear before the court of JPS Khurmi, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Fazilka. They had been booked under the NDPS Act. 

SFJ to sponsor English version of ‘Sadda Haq’
Tribune News Service

Moga, April 11
Challenging the ban on the Punjabi movie “Sadda Haq” by the Punjab government and the other states, the US-based Sikh advocacy group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has declared it will promote and sponsor the release of the English version of the controversial movie worldwide.

The film “Sadda Haq” could not be released in cinema halls across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh, since its scheduled date of release (April 5), as the respective governments in these states and the authorities in the Union Territory had imposed a ban on the screening of the film.

Gurpatwant Singh Panun, legal advisor, SFJ, had begun an international campaign in the US and Canada to expose the alleged state-sponsored killings and massacre of Sikhs in the 1984 riots. The organisation has also initiated a campaign to garner support for the movie on the social networking site ‘Facebook’.

Meanwhile, Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad, president of the All India Sikh Students’ Federation, who is also associated with the SFJ, said massive international publicity in favour of the movie would be launched.

BKU wants liquor vends in public places shifted

Moga, April 11
The Punjab unit of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) is up in arms against the increasing consumption of alcohol in villages and has decided to exert pressure on the state government to shut down liquor vends located at public places close to the bus stands, colleges, schools and religious places.

On Thursday, the BKU staged a protest against the excise and taxation department at Kokri Kalan village in Moga district demanding that the liquor vend be shifted from a public place where the buses and tempos halt to take the passengers.

BKU state general secretary Sukhdev Singh, while addressing a gathering, alleged that girl students and women wait at this place for public transport.

The people who come to buy liquor not only stare at them but also stand there for hours passing comments.

He alleged that the villagers were demanding that the liquor vend be relocated to some other place for over six months. But the local authorities, under pressure from the liquor mafia, was not listening to them. — TNS

Army honours World War veteran

Abohar, April 11
The General Officer Commanding (GOC), Amogh Division, Major General NC Badhani has reached out to an octogenarian veteran, ex-sepoy Kaka Singh in a remotely located village 2FC of Gajsinghpur sub-tehsil in Sriganganagar district who had the unique privilege of participating in the Second World War as part of the Royal Indian Artillery. He eventually retired on August 28, 1946, prior to Independence.

It was a momentous occasion for Kaka Singh who proudly received an honorarium of Rs 10,000 from the GOC. — OC