|
|
|
|
|
Govt toughens norms for taking
out prisoners for court hearings
Slain prisoners faced trial in Sriganganagar as well
Hit by waterlogging, Muktsar residents turn to fish farming
|
|
|
On panchayat election eve, Sarabjit case gives Akalis fresh ammo to target Cong
Panchayat body poll: Police to collect 3.4 lakh firearms
Reserved wards notified
Differently abled couple pushed around at Badal’s function
Youth held captive by granthi for years rescued
Op Bluestar Memorial dedicated to community
3 kidnappers held, boy rescued
Three cops dismissed for extortion
|
Govt toughens norms for taking
out prisoners for court hearings
Patiala, April 27 Further, the state government has identified that lack of arrangements for the escort party and no officer to monitor their movement are the issues that need immediate attention. The government has planned to adopt a standard operating procedure (SOP) for taking criminals for court hearings, emphasise more on video conferencing technology and solve problems faced by policemen escorting the prisoners. Two days after three criminals escaped from police custody after killing a head constable in Bathinda, two of the accused were today shot dead, the government has decided to refurbish the entire mechanism of taking inmates for court hearing. Special instructions have already been passed to the Superintendent Police (HQ) in each district, nominated as the nodal officer, to ensure safe transport of criminals for court hearings. "The SP will be responsible till the police team from his district hands over criminals back to the jail authorities," said DS Bains, Principal Secretary, Home. "A time and travel schedule for all criminals being shifted from jail to court and back will be drawn by the SP," Bains said. Till date, in case a criminal escaped from the police net, only the accompanying policemen faced action. Bains said from now on, no policeman would accompany a criminal for more than one instance to avoid their regular interaction. "Recently, some lapses on part of senior officers have come to our knowledge wherein they never took the job of escorting criminals seriously. Now, the responsibility will be with the SP (H) who will liaison with other district counterparts," Bains stated. Usually, the accompanying policemen have no provision for food. They opt for roadside eateries and pay from their own pocket. "We will make sure that some arrangements are made for them in every district so that the policemen do not stop wherever they feel like and in case they do, the local police is involved", claimed Additional DGP (Law and Order) Dinkar Gupta. "We will take the jail officials into confidence and depend more on videoconferencing," he added. Many times, the escorted accused paid for the food of the policemen to get friendly with them. "This is precisely what happened in Bathinda where criminals got time to procure chilly powder," said a senior police officer. Directions have also been issued to jail officials to arrange for canteens inside the jails so that the visiting relatives of inmates buy food from there. "This will make it difficult for the relatives to pass on drugs, weapons and other stuff hidden inside eatables to the prisoners", said Bains. Plugging loopholes The government has decided to refurbish the mechanism of taking out inmates for court hearing Shifting of criminals will be done under the supervision of an SP-level officer in each district No policeman will accompany a criminal for more than once to avoid their regular interaction More facilities will be given to the policemen escorting prisoners Canteens will be opened inside prisons so that the visiting relatives of inmates are barred from bringing eatables from outside What troubles cops Staff shortage and long duty hours No training or cooling period after a day on outdoor duty No tie-up with the respective district police while transporting prisoners Ban on handcuffing
criminals No monitoring by a senior-level officer No check on criminals meeting relatives in courts
|
|
Slain prisoners faced trial in Sriganganagar as well
Abohar, April 27 In February 2011, they had stolen a car from Panchkula and drove it to Sriganganagar after looting several petrol pumps in Fazilka and Bakayanwala on the Abohar-Hindumalkot road. They also looted a liquor shop and some petrol pumps in Chak village. In a bid to dodge the five police teams chasing them, the criminals lost control of the car and crashed into the main gate of a cremation ground and the police nabbed both Kulwinder Singh and Nahar Singh. They had been shifted from Sriganganagar District Jail to Bathinda just a few weeks ago as they were to be produced in Punjab courts, sources said.
|
||
|
Hit by waterlogging, Muktsar residents turn to fish farming
Muktsar, April 27 So far, 402.5 acres of private land has been converted into fish ponds in the district with at least 200 farmers taking to pisciculture. Private land under fish farming during 2011-12 was 55 acres. It went up to 75 acres in 2012-13.
Residents of Channu village near Lambi have set an example by converting 26 acres of land into fish ponds. A resident of Chak Sherewala village has set up a private fish seed hatchery. “It was a difficult decision to make a fish pond on the land I had tilled for decades. But the decision has worked well and I'm earning nearly Rs 40,000 per month from my 3.25 acre fish pond,” said Manvinder Singh of Jhorar village who owns 16 acres of land of which 10 acres is waterlogged. Another farmer Daljit Singh of Bhullar village, who quit his job as a government teacher after taking to fish farming, said: “Nine years ago, I had made a fish pond on 3.5 acres of waterlogged land. This is now giving me huge profits.” He began with 12,000 small-sized fish in 2004. "Though in the first year, only expenses were covered, the next year I earned a good profit.” Karan Singh
Rathore, Assistant Director, Muktsar, Fisheries, said: “A total if 1,432 acres of land has been brought under the fisheries across the district, of which 402.5 acres is private land.” He said fish ponds were proving a boon for farmers of waterlogged areas. "It costs nearly Rs 4 lakh to convert one hectare (2.5 acres) into a fish pond. The department gives 20 per cent subsidy on the same,” said
Rathore. He said the farmers at first had apprehensions that the saline water in their fields would not allow the fish to grow. "The fish are kept in a natural pond. Besides, a mechanism installed in the pond increases the quantity of oxygen.”
|
||
On panchayat election eve, Sarabjit case gives Akalis fresh ammo to target Cong
Chandigarh, April 27 Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal today claimed the Union Government had allegedly failed to secure Sarabjit’s release. “The inability of the Centre to take Sarabjit’s case to a logical conclusion is yet another instance to prove how weak it is. Since Independence, never has the country been ruled by such a weak government at the Centre,” said Sukhbir while speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a sports awards function here. “This development is only in line with the government sleeping over reports of intrusion till the Chinese entered and camped 19 km inside Indian territory. The fact is even a neighbour like Maldives (a small island) is not scared of India’s might any more,” he said. Sukhbir said he had raised Sarabjit’s case with his counterparts in Pakistan’s Punjab province during his visit to the neighbouring nation a few months ago. “Even the Indian envoys were involved in the talks. The follow-up, however, had to be done by the Union Government as it is a central matter,” he said.
|
||
|
‘Defensive’ Bajwa says will raise matter with Sonia
Ludhiana, April 27 Currently on death row in the neighbouring country, Sarabjit Singh was attacked in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail yesterday. Bajwa said the Congress leaders would meet Sonia Gandhi on Monday and appeal her to raise the matter with the quarters concerned in Pakistan for ensuring security and quality treatment to Sarabjit. The Punjab Congress chief made this statement during a protest at Mullanpur Dakha against the state government over the alleged misuse of the police. He said Sarabjit’s safety was the Pakistan Government’s responsibility since his appeal for mercy was still pending. The PPCC chief also urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to secure Sarabjit’s release on humanitarian grounds.
|
|
Panchayat body poll: Police to collect 3.4 lakh firearms
Patiala, April 27 The authorities in some districts have already directed the people to deposit their firearms with the police stations concerned. Sources said there are chances that political rivalry might turn bloody as these elections are fiercely contested. Even during the Vidhan Sabha elections, similar orders were passed by the Election Commission. With the malkhanas (stores inside the police stations) already filled to capacity, the police will have to depend on private arms depots for stocking the weapons. To ensure compliance, the policemen are being asked to visit the households of those holding arms licences and urge them to deposit their weapons at the earliest. In Ludhiana district, there are 28,102 licensed weapons while in Bathinda and Gurdaspur there are 35,152 and 35,794 licencees, respectively. Sangrur has over 15,000 weapons and Patiala has over 25,000 weapons. Villagers, however, are seemed reluctant to give up their weapons. “We are sitting ducks without arms. There are many cases pending against the rival factions,” claimed Karamjit Singh, a villager from Samana. On an average, 1,500 weapons are expected to be deposited at a police station. Punjab Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Dinkar Gupta said he would seek a report on the matter from all districts by Monday. “The aim of the excercise is to conduct the polls peacefully,” he said. Daunting task The police has been told to collect firearms from all licence holders They have been asked to visit the households of all licence holders across the state On an average, 1,500 weapons are expected to be deposited at each police station.
|
|
|
Reserved wards notified
Chandigarh, April 27 Jaspal Singh, Deputy Director, said: "All the wards for elections to 145 samitis and 22 parishads have been notified. The lists have been communicated to the deputy commissioners concerned who will be the deciding authority for the elections in their districts". The election office held a review meting with additional deputy commissioners of all the districts on Thursday. The ADCs of Bathinda, Moga, Ferozepur, Pathankot, Kapurthala, Fazilka and Tarn Taran said they had not received any details of the reservation of wards as yet. Jaspal Singh said wards had been categorised as Scheduled Caste (SC), SC (women), women and general. The reservation for each category will be based on the population of the parishad or the samiti". "Except for certain objections regarding alleged anomalies in the voter lists in addition to complaints about changes in the zoning of wards, the ground work relating to the elections has been completed. Complaints are being addressed on a daily basis to the satisfaction of all the parties," the official said. ML Sharma, secretary, election office, said: "The list of reserved wards and related details have been circulated among the election offices in all the districts". Sharma said it had been clarified that a person could contest on as many seats he wanted for the post of a panch in his village, but he could retain only one.
|
|
|
Differently abled couple pushed around at Badal’s function
Bathinda, April 27 Polio-stricken Bhurra Kashyap, his visually impaired wife Rajni along with their two-year-old son wanted to meet Badal to seek an allowance for differently abled persons. However, the police did not let them meet teh Chief Minister. They alleged that the local Civil Surgeon had refused to pay them their pension despite repeated attempts. Addressing a gathering later, Badal said maintaining communal harmony and ensuring the all-round development of the state was the government’s priority. He said the state government had always given due respect to every religion and ensured everyone’s well-being. He said it was a matter of great pride that Punjab was the only state in the country that had remained peaceful for the past many years.
|
|
|
Youth held captive by granthi for years rescued
Moga, April 27 The local police on Saturday rescued the boy from a gurdwara room and took him for a medical examination. Gurwinder Singh Bhullar, Station House Officer (SHO) of the Samalsar police station, said a criminal case had been registered against granthi Gurcharan Singh alias Charna, who was on the run. The SHO said after the death of his parents, the polio-afflicted youth started learning orations of religious prayers from the granthi, who offered the boy a room on the gurdwara premises. After gaining confidence of the youth, the granthi started sexually abusing him.
|
|
|
Op Bluestar Memorial dedicated to community
Amritsar, April 27 Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Khalsa handed over its keys to SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar at a ceremony here. The memorial has been named Gurdwara Shaheedi Yaadgaar and its plaque mentions that it has been built in the memory of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other “martyrs” of the Operation Bluestar in 1984. Interestingly, the curtain from the plaque was removed after the ceremony got over. All five Takhts, the SGPC and various religious bodies felicitated Khalsa for performing the ‘kar sewa’ of the memorial. The Jathedars of all the five Takhts and the head granthi of the Golden Temple were also present. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said the memorial was a symbol of the Sikh community’s self-respect and would inspire the future generations to follow the Sikh tenets. The name of the memorial has been inscribed atop its entrance while on the either sides of the stairs leading to it, the names of Bhindranwale, Amrik Singh, Shubegh Singh and Thahra Singh have been engraved. The memorial is a double-storey building. On the ground floor is the octagonal shaped memorial in the form of the gurdwara, the work on the basement is still on and, therefore, it is lying unused. Makkar clarified the memorial will continue to exist in the form of a gurdwara and there was no plan to exhibit anything related to the 1984 Army operation on the Golden Temple. On Bhindranwale’s name on the plaque, he said he was neither aware about it nor his advice was sought on the matter. He said he will discuss the issue with the Akal Takht Jathedar. It was decided earlier that the memorial would not be named after any particular person and instead it will be in the name of “all the martyrs”.
|
|
3 kidnappers held, boy rescued
Muktsar, April 27 The Malout police said Harvinder Singh and Lalit Kumar of Ludhiana and Sanjay Kumar of Abohar were arrested and the kidnapped boy Lalit Hans rescued. Even though the boy’s father had paid Rs 7 lakh ransom to the kidnappers, they had not release the boy
|
|
|
Three cops dismissed for extortion
Amritsar, April 27 The hotel owner released a CCTV footage wherein the accused policemen were found taking a bribe from him. Prabhjot Singh, the owner of Bhole Shah Guest House, had alleged: In September last year, a policeman approached me and offered me to start giving rooms to couples on an hourly basis. When I refused, he threatened me with dire consequences". He said to expose the officials, he accepted the offer and started paying them money, but he videographed his meetings with the policemen. Ram Singh, Police Commissioner, said the action had been taken on the basis of CCTV footages.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Chandigarh, April 27
A differently abled couple was pushed around by police personnel, including women constables, at a function here today where Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was also present.
Almost 29 years after the Army operation and a string of controversies over the last one year, the Operation Bluestar Memorial was today dedicated to the Sikh community.
