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Khaira re-appointed Cong spokesman
NHRC: Allow kin to meet Bhullar
SGPC to file petition in a day or two
Need to curb jathedar raj, says Verka
Muktsar tops in moong production
Survey to plant 90 lakh saplings in state ends
Fatehgarh Sahib to be tobacco-free by May 31
Two copies of holy book burnt in fire at shrine
HC
Expedite probe in PSPCL recruitment scam, High Court tells cyber police
Cops thrash YC activist in courts complex
337 drug peddlers held in 2 weeks in Jalandhar
13 booked for selling plots in illegal colonies
Two held with six kg opium
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Day after, bigger heroin haul, worth
Rs 260 cr
Khasa (Amritsar), April 17 The BSF had recovered a total of 288 kg of heroin last year. This year, it has already seized 144 kg of the contraband. In 2011, it had seized 68 kg of heroin. Though the Pakistan-based smugglers have often used firearms while smuggling the contraband, it is for the first time that they used AK-47 rifles today. The BSF recovered nine empty shells and two live cartridges from the spot after exchanging fire with the smugglers. The Pakistan Rangers denied knowledge of the incident despite intermittent fire exchange between the BSF and smugglers for more than two hours at the Roranwala border outpost. The smugglers fired 15-20 rounds in their bid to smuggle in 20 kg of contraband stuffed in a 25-metre plastic pipe, raising suspicion that the Pakistan Rangers may have extended tacit support to the smugglers. “During intermittent firing between the smugglers and jawans, that started at 2.30 am and ended at 5 am, the smugglers fired several rounds from their AK-47 assault rifles. Yet Pakistan Rangers did not try to nab the smugglers,” said Aditya Mishra, Inspector-General, BSF. In another incident near Khemkaran, BSF jawans recovered 32 kg of heroin. They noticed at least four smugglers on the Pakistan side. When challenged, they hid themselves in the standing crops in the Indian territory and opened fire at the jawans. All managed to flee. One of them was apparently injured as the BSF found bloodstains at the encounter site. The BSF seized a magazine, 19 rounds and a cell phone with a SIM card. He said the BSF would lodge a protest with its counterpart during the flag meeting. Damaged fence a cause for concern
Fake currency The BSF has recovered counterfeit currency worth Rs 48 lakh till date this year This is significantly high as compared to 2012 when it had recovered fake notes worth Rs 46.21 lakh The high-quality counterfeit notes indicates the role of Pakistani agencies
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Boston blasts may trigger hate crime, fear US Sikhs
Amritsar, April 17 Talking to The Tribune on the phone from the US, Dr Rajwant Singh, chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE), said: “We are always fearful that an act of terror in the US will have a negative impact on the Sikhs because of mistaken identity. There have been attacks on Sikhs in the past and we hope that the Boston tragedy does not trigger similar incidents.” He said they had asked Sikhs to display banners outside gurdwaras, expressing sympathy and support for the Boston victims. He said the gurdwaras had been asked to review their security procedures and to keep in touch with their local police departments. American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee
(AGPC) coordinator Dr Pritpal Singh said: “We have asked the community members to remain alert even though the government has also initiated various measures. To make people more aware about Sikh identity, we are educating government agencies and participating in inter-faith events. We recently held an awareness rally in which a large number of people participated.” The Sikhs had to bear the brunt of hate crime post-9/11.
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473 schools violating RTE Act face closure
Chandigarh, April 17 Disclosing this here today, Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka said the state government had been sympathetic towards these educational institutions for a long time. They had been requested time and again to adhere to the RTE Act. Maluka said despite the fact that the institutions were bound to get affiliation under the RTE Act-2009 for free and compulsory education, they had not done so. He said in such circumstances the government was forced to take strict action against these institutions. The minister further said that nearly 37,813 students of these schools could enroll in government schools; the admissions for which were still continuing. Maluka said a fine of Rs 1 lakh would be imposed on each school that disobeys the order. If a school continues to violate the rules, it would be fined Rs 10,000 per day, he said. Maluka said only 1,935 schools filled out the self declaration form to get the affiliation out of total 9,301 schools up to January 2012. Maluka said the remaining schools had been accorded more than one year up to March 31, 2013, to fulfil the conditions. As of now, 473 schools have failed to get the affiliation, he said. The Minister also issued instructions to the Director General School Education
(DGSE) to ensure the closure of these schools. The District Education Officers have been directed to ensure the admission of the affected students in the nearby government schools in consultation with their parents. The Minister said that it would be imperative for any private institution, which intends to open a school, to get affiliation from the Education Department provided it fulfils RTE Act norms. Cracking the whip Of the 9,301 schools in Punjab, only 1,935 filled out the self declaration form to get the affiliation by January 2012 The state government then extended the deadline to March 31, 2013, for the remaining schools to fulfil the conditions 473 schools still did not get the affiliation and so will be closed down The government will ensure the admission of the 37,813 students of these schools in government schools
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Khaira re-appointed Cong spokesman
Chandigarh, April 17 Bajwa had appointed Khaira as party spokesperson a month ago along with making other appointments, including that of his brother Fatehjang Bajwa as party office in charge. But these were struck down by the party high command as Bajwa did not take prior sanction for the appointments. Sources said Khaira had been re-appointed to the same post after the PCC president met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on April 5 and made a request in this regard. The sources said the Pradesh Congress moved a formal application through the general secretary in charge of the state, Gulchain Singh Charak, following which Khaira’s appointment was approved by the All-India Congress Committee. Khaira, son of former Education Minister Sukhjinder Singh, was MLA from Bholath from 2007 to 2012. He was president of the Kapurthala District Congress Committee from 2005 to 2010 and party spokesperson during the 2009 parliamentary elections.
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NHRC: Allow kin to meet Bhullar
New Delhi, April 17 The NHRC made this recommendation after a delegation, that included Bhullar’s wife Navneet
Kaur, submitted an application with the commission in this regard. The delegation also sought a stay on the execution order. The application reads: “We wish that the NHRC should make representations at the highest possible level, including the President, the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Home Affairs, that Bhullar’s execution be stayed and that the death sentence be commuted with immediate effect.” It says that the authorities must ensure Bhullar’s safety and well-being. “As you are aware, since 2010 Bhullar's mental health has deteriorated significantly. He was transferred from the Tihar Jail to a secure mental health facility. “We are concerned that Bhullar is suffering from a psychiatric illness which has resulted from his
continuous period of incarceration “We would impress on the NHRC to request that Bhullar be assessed and treated by a psychiatrist specialising in ‘death row syndrome’ and monitor the continued deterioration of his mental and physical health. The NHRC can also seek a report from IBHAS hospital in this regard,” the application reads. It requests the NHRC to ensure that Bhullar’s close relatives are allowed to visit him and that “under no circumstances is any action taken by the Government of India without informing Bhullar’s wife.”
Patiala resident petitions SC for revision of case by Constitution Bench
Legal Correspondent From New
Delhi: A resident of Patiala has sent a letter-petition to the Supreme Court, pleading for an immediate stay on the imminent execution of Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar and a revision of the death row convict’s case by a five-member Constitution Bench. Challenging the April 12 judgement of the Supreme Court declining Bhullar’s mercy plea in view of the inordinate delay in the rejection of his mercy petition, the petitioner said the issue ought to have been heard by a Constitution Bench instead of a two-member Bench. The April 12 verdict was delivered by a Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and SJ
Mukhopadhaya. Claiming to be a social rights activist, 73-year-old Tarsem Singh Khatkar said the case must be heard by a Constitution Bench comprising five or more judges as Bhullar’s appeal had been rejected by a three-member Bench in 2002. Further, the Presiding Judge had delivered a dissenting verdict, which was in favour of
Bhullar, the petitioner pointed out. He also pleaded for two weeks’ time to file a proper petition on the issue. He said he was constrained to send his plea through the Solicitor-General and not the Supreme Court Registry “to save the life of a fellow human being and a brother citizen of India who can be executed any time” in the light of the April 12 verdict.
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SGPC to file petition in a day or two
Chamkaur Sahib, April 17 He was was here to lay the stone of a degree college. He said the death sentence was not justified. “ When the death sentence awarded to Kishori
Lal, who killed 34 Sikhs during the 1984 riots, has been commuted, what is the hurdle in commuting Bhullar’s death sentence,” he asked.
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Need to curb jathedar raj, says Verka
Ludhiana, April 17 Verka said under the SC/ST Act, 11,000 cases had been received from Punjab. The figure had increased from 7,000 to 11,000 in the last four months. “The reply sent by the state government to the Supreme Court on atrocities committed on a woman in Tarn Taran was not satisfactory.The police in Punjab is acting under political pressure," said Verka. Terming the police as bonded labour, he said despite the rise in cases of atrocities on women and SCs/BCs, nothing was being done to improve the system. Chairman of the State SC/BC Commission Rajesh Bagga said the authorities must act fast and give financial assistance to the victims.
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Muktsar tops in moong production
Muktsar, April 17 The next to follow Muktsar are Sangrur (971 kg) and Ferozepur districts (952 kg). Incidentally, Muktsar happens to be the home district of Agriculture Department director Mangal Singh Sandhu. Barnala and Tarn Taran districts, with 933 and 918 kg per hectare yield, respectively, are at the fourth and fifth position. The maximum 1,200 hectares of area was brought under moong cultivation in Tarn Taran district. Of the 22 districts in Punjab, moong is sown in 10 districts, including Muktsar, Sangrur, Ferozepur, Barnala, Tarn Taran, Faridkot, Bathinda, Mansa, Moga and Ludhiana. At 566 kg per hectare yield, Ludhiana is at the bottom in terms of production. The Punjab Agricultural University experts say moong requires hot weather conditions and the crop can be sown twice a year, once between March and April and thereafter in July. Dr NS Dhaliwal, Director, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Muktsar, said, “The district achieved the feat only due to the joint efforts of agriculture experts and farmers. The conducive weather conditions also played a key role.”
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Survey to plant 90 lakh saplings in state ends
Sangrur, April 17 The vacant land in the villages has been identified near ponds, schools and other public places. Punjab Forest Minister Surjit Kumar Jayani said today under “Green Punjab Mission”, 40 crore saplings would be planted in seven years to increase the forest cover from the existing seven per cent to 15 per cent throughout the state. He said around 1.31 crore saplings had been planted in the state the previous year, of which 88 per cent survived. The minister also said a nursery of medicinal plants was being established on 25 acres land in Bhatoli village in Talwara block of Hoshiarpur district. Jayani said an amount of Rs 70 lakh had already been spent on this upcoming nursery. A pilot project for the development of Kandi area and the plantation of trees in 26 villages of Talwara block had also begun, he said.
Jayani said in 227 government nurseries of the state about 4.75 crore saplings were ready for plantation. He said the state government had earmarked a budget of Rs 70 crore for the “Green Punjab Mission” during the current fiscal.
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Fatehgarh Sahib to be tobacco-free by May 31
Fatehgarh Sahib, April17 Mahajan said under Section 6 of the Tobacco Act, the sale and use of tobacco was strictly prohibited within 100 square yards of any educational institution. He said school principals had been authorised to challan any person found violating these norms.
Mahajan said under Section 4 of the Act, tobacco use was banned at public places, including bus stands, railway stations, hotels, religious places, airports etc. He said anyone found smoking at a pubic place could be fined Rs 200. School authorities were also told to educate children regarding the ill effects of consuming tobacco. They were also directed to take out rallies against tobacco use on World Earth Day on April
22. Mahajan directed the Civil Surgeon and District Health Officer to set up a helpline for those seeking information on how to give up the consumption of tobacco. He also urged the PGI team to conduct a baseline survey in the district.
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Two copies of holy book burnt in fire at shrine
Sangrur, April 17 GS Sahota, Sangrur Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and Sharanjit Singh, Superintendent of Police (SP), reached the spot immediately. A fire tender also arrived at the gurdwara but villagers had already contained the fire then. Harcharan Singh Bhullar, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Sangrur, said the fire broke out due to a short circuit in the air conditioner installed in the gurdwara room, where the Darbar Sahib was kept. The room quickly caught fire due to the wooden furniture lying there, Bhullar said.
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HC rejects Congress plea for stay on panchayat elections
Chandigarh, April 17 Taking up a petition filed in public interest by the PPCC through its president Partap Singh Bajwa this morning, a Division Bench of the High Court only issued notice to the State of Punjab and other respondents. They include 22 deputy commissioners and Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Department Surjit Singh Rakhra. The case will now come up for further hearing on April 26. At the time of hearing, a number of senior Congress leaders, including Sunil Jakhar, Ravneet Singh Bittu and Sukhpal Singh Khaira, were present in the courtroom. The development is significant as one of the prayers made by the committee was for restraining the respondents from holding the panchayat elections “on the basis of defective and illegal wardbandi”. As the case came up for preliminary hearing before Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Amol Rattan Singh, Bajwa sought the court’s permission to argue the case personally. But he was not permitted to do so on the ground that the petition was filed by a party through a counsel. As Bajwa was not allowed to assist the Court in person, the PIL was argued by Dr Anmol Rattan Sidhu. He told the Bench that the government carried out the delimitation of wards in a clandestine manner; and even site plan was not considered at the time of delimitation. Sidhu also blamed Rakhra for being the brainchild behind the entire process. Accusing Rakhra of interfering in the process of wardbandi at every level, the committee had earlier sought directions to the State of Punjab, the minister and the 22 deputy commissioners to undertake the process afresh. Claiming to have received “numerous complaints” in recent past on “grave illegalities, irregularities and gross violations of law in the process of wardbandi”, the party added that irregularities were being committed by the respondents with malafide and insidious designs. The respondents, for their selfish and vested interests, were manipulating and maneuvering the panchayat elections “by wrongly, illegally and arbitrarily doing the wardbandi to suit their political interests,” the party added.
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Expedite probe in PSPCL recruitment scam, High Court tells cyber police
Chandigarh, April 17 Asked by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to complete the investigation and file the final report “as expeditiously as possible”, the cyber cell of the Punjab Police has found that the erring candidates allegedly smuggled a smartphone into the examination centre before clicking snapshots of the question paper. Headed by IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, the cell found that the question paper was then allegedly uploaded on Facebook through a secure ID before it was accessed by their helpers in different copying facilitation centres outside the examination hall. The answers were then forwarded to the erring candidates through short message service. As a social networking site was allegedly used to facilitate the candidates in cheating, the cyber cell is still in the process of ascertaining the magnitude of the illegality. So far, the cell has arrested 13 persons, including the alleged kingpin, who has been remanded to two-day police custody. The accused include candidates, helpers and even guardians. The FIR was registered by the cell just more than a month back. Directions by the High Court on expeditious probe came during the hearing of a bunch of petitions filed by Major Singh and other petitioners against the PSPCL and other respondents. The petitioners had challenged the written examination conducted by the respondents for the selection of assistant engineers and junior engineers (electrical). The challenge was thrown on the ground that the leakage of question paper had throttled the rights of deserving candidates for selection. The petitioners had also sought directions to the respondents to re-conduct the examination in a transparent manner after cancelling the examination held on July 15, 2012. Taking up the matter, Justice Rakesh Kumar Garg had added: “State counsel has also filed status report with regard to investigation in the FIR number dated March 5, 2013, at Police Station Cyber Crime, Mohali, in a sealed cover and the same is taken on record….” How they did it The erring candidates allegedly smuggled a smartphone into an examination centre They then clicked snapshots of the question paper The question paper was then allegedly uploaded on Facebook through a secure ID It was accessed by their helpers in different copying facilitation centres outside the examination hall Subsequently, the answers were forwarded to the erring candidates through short message service
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Cops thrash YC activist in courts complex
Moga, April 17 The victim, Simranjit Singh Goldi of Marhi Mustafa village, and his associates were to appear in court in a civil case. They were ‘thrashed’ by Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Jagtar Singh and his subordinates. “The policemen tried to kidnap me, removing my turban and pulling me by the leg,” Simranjit alleged. A group of lawyers, led by District Bar Association president Ramesh Grover, came to the rescue of the Youth Congress activist even as police personnel on security duty in the court complex remained a mute spectator. The lawyers registered a complaint on his behalf before the District and Sessions Judge Karamjit Singh Kang, who called for a report from the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) by tomorrow. A police officer said the policemen had come to present a challan against Simranjit in a trespass case and wanted to arrest him. But Simranjit claimed that he had been granted bail in the case.
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337 drug peddlers held in 2 weeks in Jalandhar
Jalandhar, April 17 The arrests were made as part of a special operation launched on the directions of Director General of Police Sumedh Singh Saini. The city police registered 335 FIRs involving 337 suspects, including a woman, and recovered 55 kg of narcotics from their possession. To correlate drug peddling and addiction with snatching incidents, the city police conducted a study and found that 95 per cent of the snatchers were addicts and were actively involved in peddling too. The study stated that the suspects switched over to costly heroin, available at Rs 2,000 per gram, after cheap drug smack (costing Rs 200 per gram) was unavailable. When unable to manage funds to buy heroin, the addicts took to snatchings, it showed. Jalandhar Police Commissioner Gaurav Yadav said the analysis based on the arrests and inputs from intelligence had shown a correlation between drug peddling, addiction and snatchings. Yadav said with the tightening of noose around drug peddlers and addicts, snatching incidents had come down considerably; from nine to two in a month. The study showed that of the 337 arrested persons, 82 were habitual offenders and addicts, he said. Also, the registration of drug addicts in a government-run de addiction centre at the local ESI Hospital has gone up to 16 from 10 patients per month, he said. This, Yadav claimed, could be attributed the police crackdown. Dr Sanjeev Khanna, in charge of the drug de-addiction centre, said the registration in the OPD and admissions in the rehabilitation centre had witnessed a sharp increase in the past over a month. A majority of the patients coming to the centre were in the age group of 25 to 45 years, Dr Khanna said.
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13 booked for selling plots in illegal colonies
Amloh, April 17 The police registered three cases in this regard on the complaint of Ajaib Singh, Assistant Engineer at PUDA, Patiala. Those booked are Rajiv Bansal, Anit Singh Khaira, Baltej Singh, Sanjeev Goel and Daljit Singh, residents of Nabha; Baldev Singh, Kulwant Singh and Sher Singh, residents of Maangarh; Balvir Singh, Harpreet Singh, Narinder Singh, Sarwan Singh and Manohar Lal, residents of Amloh. A case under Section 36 (1/36) (3) of the Punjab Apartment Regulation Act, 1995, has been registered against the accused. No arrests have been made in the case.
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Two held with six kg opium
Amloh, April 17 Gurpreet Singh Gill, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Patiala, said the accused, identified as Jagjit Singh and Amarjit Singh, were smuggling the opium on their jeep. The police has registered a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The police further said they had arrested five juveniles for stealing mobile phones from a showroom in
Bahadurgarh.
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The Border Security Force today seized 52 kg of heroin, 20 kg from Bhikhiwind in Amritsar Sector and 32 kg from Khemkaran in the Ferozepur Sector, worth Rs 260 crore in the international market.
Chamkaur Sahib, April 17
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee’s (PPCC) worse apprehensions that the Punjab Government may go ahead with panchayat elections on the basis of alleged “defective” and “illegal wardbandi” can come true anytime now. For, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has not stayed the election process.
Moga, April 17
While the BSF succeeded in foiling numerous attempts by cross-border smugglers to push heroin into Indian territory, the unfenced area on the border with Pakistan continues to test the efficacy of the paramilitary personnel. Of the total 553-km India-Pakistan border in Punjab, the barbed fencing is either damaged or could not be installed on a 21-km stretch, including 8.9 km in the riverine belt. Officials said the fence had got damaged after the Sutlej and the Beas, which meet at Harike, changed their course. Smugglers, they said, always try to exploit such gaps to push in narcotics and fake currency. BSF Inspector-General Aditya Mishra said the government had sanctioned funds for repairing the border fence and work was likely to begin soon. 
The figures, procured from the statistics branch of the Punjab Agriculture Department, show that 5,100 hectares of land was brought under moong cultivation in the state in 2012-13. The state’s average per hectare yield of moong was recorded at 877 kg in 2012-13, down from 849 kg in 2011-12.