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18 panchayats elected unanimously in Barnala
Barnala, June 27
As many as 18 panchayats have been elected unanimously in Barnala district. There are a total of 171 villages in three blocks of the district, namely Barnala, Shehna and Mehal Kalan. The Barnala block has 68 villages, Shehna has 65 villages and the Mehal Kalan block has 38 villages.

Firearms, weapons banned in Fazilka till July 4
Fazilka, June 27
Keeping in view the ensuing Panchayat elections, the District Magistrate, Fazilka, Dr Basant Garg, has imposed a ban on keeping firearms and sharp-edged weapons till July 4.

It is Akalis versus Akalis in Faridkot district
Faridkot, June 27
A month after Congress leaders in Faridkot were crying hoarse for rejection of their nomination papers in block samiti and zila parishad elections at the behest of two SAD legislators, now in Panchayat elections, besides the Congress, a group of Akalis owing allegiance to a former agriculture minister, have also joined the chorus of accusing SAD leaders.

Suicide case: Husband, mother-in-law booked
Barnala, June 27
A 23-year-old woman was strangled to death on the intervening night of June 26 and June 27 allegedly by her husband in Nainewal village, about four km from Bhadaur in Barnala district.

Man buried alive as wall caves in
Fazilka, June 27
Surjit Singh (38) was buried alive as a wall caved in at Shahtirawala village in Fazilka district today.

Body found
Abohar, June 27
The body of a youth was recovered from a water tank in Mehrajpur Dhora village. The deceased has been identified as Baljit Singh (23). Sources said the youth had left his house without talking to the family members last evening.

18 panchayats elected unanimously in Barnala
Sushil Goyal
Tribune News Service

Barnala, June 27
As many as 18 panchayats have been elected unanimously in Barnala district. There are a total of 171 villages in three blocks of the district, namely Barnala, Shehna and Mehal Kalan. The Barnala block has 68 villages, Shehna has 65 villages and the Mehal Kalan block has 38 villages.

Additional deputy commissioner (development), Barnala, Parveen Kumar said as many as 13 panchayats were elected unanimously in the Shehna block while four panchayats were elected in the Barnala block. Further, one panchayat was elected unanimously in the Mehal Kalan block.

The villages where panchayats were elected unanimously are Bahmania in Mehal Kalan block); Patti Sohal, Bilaspur Pindi Dhaula, Kothe Wahegurupura and Nangal in the Barnala block; and Santpura, Leelo, Lashkari Patti, Deepgarh, Kothe Peon Singh, Kothe Jawandhe, Patti Mohar Singh, Ishar Singh Wala, Tallewal, Baba Malkit Singh, Tajoke, Tajoke Khurd and Dharampura in the Shehna block.

Likewise, 25 sarpanches were elected unopposed in the three blocks of the district.

As many as 13 sarpanches were elected in the Shehna block, followed by 10 in the Barnala block and two in the Mehal Kalan block.

Official sources said 592 panches were also elected unopposed in various villages of the district.

Firearms, weapons banned in Fazilka till July 4
Our Correspondent

Fazilka, June 27
Keeping in view the ensuing Panchayat elections, the District Magistrate, Fazilka, Dr Basant Garg, has imposed a ban on keeping firearms and sharp-edged weapons till July 4.

“There was a threat to peace while carrying the weapons during the election days, hence it was necessary to impose the ban on firearms for peaceful conduct of the polls,” said the DM in a press statement released here today.

The order shall not be binding on military, part-military and police personnel.

Besides, the DM has also declared July 3, the date of polling, as dry day. No license holder or outlet would be allowed to sell, purchase, offer and stock the foreign, country-made liquor, spirit, alcohol and drugs in the district.

It is Akalis versus Akalis in Faridkot district
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, June 27
A month after Congress leaders in Faridkot were crying hoarse for rejection of their nomination papers in block samiti and zila parishad elections at the behest of two SAD legislators, now in Panchayat elections, besides the Congress, a group of Akalis owing allegiance to a former agriculture minister, have also joined the chorus of accusing SAD leaders.

Besides staging protest dharnas and blocking traffic against rejection of their nomination papers, annoyed Akalis even went to the extent of approaching the Chief Minister, demanding his interference to rein in a Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS), accusing him of exerting pressure on the returning officers (ROs) to reject the nomination papers of his opponents on flimsy grounds.

After the former agriculture minister, Gurdev Singh Badal, raised the matter with the CM, sources said the latter asked the District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner to look into the allegations. The

While Gurdev Badal is maintaining an enigmatic silence, his supporters alleged that the nomination papers of a candidate for the post of sarpanch in Karirwali were rejected on the ground that the name of the person who proposed his name for the election was not mentioned.

A couple of days ago, rejection of the nomination papers of Darshan Singh of Aulakh village resulted in a massive protest by the Akalis in Kotkapura town. They accused the CPS, Mantar Singh Brar, for the rejection of the nomination papers to elect his brother-in-law unopposed. Brar had refuted the allegation.

Suicide case: Husband, mother-in-law booked

Barnala, June 27
A 23-year-old woman was strangled to death on the intervening night of June 26 and June 27 allegedly by her husband in Nainewal village, about four km from Bhadaur in Barnala district.

On the statement of Para Singh, the deceased’s father, the Bhadaur police has registered a case against Amanpreet Singh, the deceased’s husband, and Surjit Kaur, the deceased’s mother-in-law.

The case was registered against them under Sections 302 and 304-B (dowry death) of the IPC. However, no arrest has been made so far.

Bhupinder Singh, Station House Officer (SHO), Bhadaur police station, said the father of the deceased had alleged that the husband and mother-in-law of his daughter had been harassing her for bringing a motorcycle which he could not afford, so his daughter’s husband and mother-in-law strangled her to death last night. — TNS

Man buried alive as wall caves in

Fazilka, June 27
Surjit Singh (38) was buried alive as a wall caved in at Shahtirawala village in Fazilka district today.

Surjit was busy excavating mud from a 10-12-foot-deep trench when its wall caved in and he was buried under it. His sister Palo and son Kalu, raised an alarm following which villagers rushed to the spot. It took them 15 minutes to pull him out. Surjit was shifted him to the local Civil Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. — OC

Body found
Our Correspondent

Abohar, June 27
The body of a youth was recovered from a water tank in Mehrajpur Dhora village. The deceased has been identified as Baljit Singh (23). Sources said the youth had left his house without talking to the family members last evening.

The body was shifted to the Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

The police has intiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC.