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Finally, Samjhauta Express to get more wagons
DIG blames pilots for delaying rescue operation in U’khand
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DIG adds new twist to Pannu assault case
Junior-level officers may lose blue light
Supreme Court ruling will not affect Bibi, for now
‘Uncle Judges’ in Punjab & Haryana HC
Bills not paid, internet access to police denied
Dera Sachkhand deputy chief flown to Pune
Delhi University Decision
PU releases uniform fee structure
Govt survey to identify hepatitis patients on anvil
PRTC: Reduce prices for bulk purchase of diesel
Ropar plant fire
Re-examine extension to PTU Vice Chancellor: HC
No class facilities for convicts of heinous crimes: HC
Teenaged girl gang-raped in Amritsar
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Finally, Samjhauta Express to get more wagons
Amritsar, July 10 Following a meeting with a delegation of exporters here, Deputy Chief Commercial Manager from New Delhi, Shelly Srivastava, assured them that 10 cargo wagons will be regularly attached with the Samjhauta Express, bi-weekly passenger train to Pakistan, so as to clear the backlog of export consignments that have piled up at the rail cargo facility in Amritsar over the last few days. Talking to The Tribune, Amritsar Exporters Chamber of Commerce general secretary Rajesh Setia
said the Railways’ decision has certainly come as a respite for them as the godowns were packed to capacity due to non-availability of wagons. “The move will bring the bilateral trade through the rail route back on the track. However, these 80 wagons a month in the Samjhauta Express will not be sufficient to normalise the trade completely. We need at least 200 wagons a month for the trade to run smoothly. Therefore, the Railways should provide us wagons in the goods trains as well,” he said. Jaspal Singh, another Chamber member, said they already had a booking of over 200 wagons and, therefore, the priority right now was to clear the backlog first. He also felt the need for wagons in goods trains, contending they could not send items like polymer in the Samjhauta Express. The traders said they had already been provided 10 wagons today and the loading of goods in them was underway. These wagons will be attached with the Samjhauta Express. Setia said the Deputy Chief Commercial Manager had assured them that they will try and facilitate wagons in goods trains as well. About the special movement of rack, she said they would take up the matter with the Railways in Delhi and also with their Pakistan counterparts for regular inter-change to facilitate faster movement of goods. A spokesman of the Confederation of International Chambers of Commerce and Industry said the issue of lack of security at the rail cargo terminus was also discussed. “She felt it was important to have permanent fencing and other security apparatus in place to ward off any attempt by anti-national elements to bring in contraband etc. She assured it was an international rail head and proper funds would be made available for its security,” stated the spokesman. On the other hand, the trade between the two countries through the Attari-Wagah land route continues to remain sluggish as imports have dipped due to devaluation of rupee against the dollar. Jaspal Singh said the number of trucks arriving from Pakistan daily had dipped to below 50 mark while it was already a lean season for exports.
Welcome step
The move will bring bilateral trade through the rail route back on track. However, these 80 wagons a month in the Samjhauta Express will not be sufficient to normalise the trade completely. We need at least 200 wagons a month for the trade to run smoothly. Therefore, the Railways should provide us wagons in the goods trains as well — Rajesh Setia, Amritsar Exporters Chamber of Commerce general secretary
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DIG blames pilots for delaying rescue operation in U’khand
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Khubi Ram, who was deputed by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to rescue the Sikh pilgrims stranded in Uttarakhand, stated this. Ram said the same helicopter, which belongs to a company owned by a prominent Haryana MP, tried to make another sortie the next day to rescue the same family that was stranded near Kedarnath. The DIG said though a private helicopter had been hired, its pilots thwarted the government’s attempts to start instant rescue operations. He said he had coordinated hiring of the helicopter on June 19 when he reached Dehradun. Ram claimed on June 20, the pilots first refused to fly citing bad weather. He said after waiting till 1 pm, he asked the pilots to try again but they said they would do so only “if he alighted”. “Following this, the helicopter disappeared for two-and-a-half hours and returned with six passengers,” he said. The officer said he later came to know that the pilots had rescued the family trapped near Kedarnath. Ram said the pilots tried to do the same the next day but he refused to allow the same. The helicopter was finally commandeered by the DIG and taken to Joshimath on June
21.
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CM flags off relief material
Mohali, July 10 Badal said the material comprised 100 tonnes of rice, 75 tonnes of milk powder, 20 tonnes of flour, 18 tonnes of sugar, 15,000 blankets and 14,000 woolen. “The material has been selected after considering the needs of the disaster victims. I had also met Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and sought to know what is urgently required. Besides, the state will also contribute to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund,” he said. The Chief Minister said the second consignment would be sent within some time as the Uttarakhand Government was facing storage problem. Badal said the Punjab Government would also help in the re-construction of houses in 25 villages in the hill state. About missing persons from Punjab, he said a list of 26 persons had been handed over to the Uttarakhand Government.
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DIG adds new twist to Pannu assault case
He said the pilgrims
had told him that Pannu had hurt their religious sentiments. The deposition assumes significance considering the fact that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had constituted a team led by Pannu and Khubi Ram to rush to Uttarakhand to help in the rescue of Punjabis stranded there. Khubi Ram narrated the sequence of events that led to the attack to The Tribune. He said the officer had an altercation with pilgrims at Gobind Dham, the nearest point to Hemkund Sahib, on June 20. He apparently did not wait for Khubi Ram to catch up with him and took two airlifts, first on June 19 to Gauchar and then on June 20 to Gobind Dham. The DIG said on June 21 (by which time he had reached Joshimath) Pannu informed him that some persons had misbehaved with him and that he should be evacuated. Khubi Ram said a helicopter was sent but could not locate Pannu. Another helicopter was sent in the evening which airlifted the officer to Joshimath. The police officer said even while he rushed back to Rishikesh to help transport Sikh pilgrims back home in buses sent by the state government, Pannu stayed put at Joshimath. He said on June 22, Pannu asked Inspector Kulbushan (sent with him to evacuate Sikh pilgrims) to accompany him to Gobind Ghat. Pannu reached Gobind Ghat the same day. "Pilgrims who had accosted him at Gobind Dham and had descended to Gobind Ghat confronted him." The DIG claimed that there were a series of heated exchanges during the course of which Pannu made certain remarks which hurt the religious sentiments of the pilgrims. He said this seemed to be the reason for the attack on the officer who was asked to apologise by seeking forgiveness from the "Guru" while facing towards Hemkund Sahib. The police officer claimed that Sikh pilgrims, including a mother and son from Ludhiana, had met him at Joshimath on June 24 and told him about these developments. Asked whether the attack on Pannu could be part of a "conspiracy" by Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka, the DIG said it seemed most unlikely. "The incident seems to have happened by chance," he said, adding the pilgrims had also quarrelled with him subsequently but that he had been successful in addressing their concerns. Pannu, who has proceeded on leave, could not be contacted for comment. When questioned on an earlier occasion if he had requested Khubi Ram to get him evacuated, he had replied in the negative. Pannu had also denied that he had hurt anyone's religious sentiments and claimed that he had fallen a victim to a "pre-meditated conspiracy."
The deposition
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Junior-level officers may lose blue light
The existing government notification on the use of ‘blue light’ has officers in four categories whereas the government notification dated April 12, 2006, simply states that “police officers not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent
of Police (DSP) and SHOs" are allowed the use of blue light. Since Superintendents of Police (SP) will not be allowed red beacons under yesterday’s notification, they will be entitled to the blue light facility. Talking to the Tribune, Principal Secretary (Transport), Jagpal Singh Sandhu, said: “There are certain issues as to who should be allowed the use of blue lights. One of the proposals is to ask department heads to submit a list of officers in this regard. “Those entitled to the facility are likely to be asked to paste permission stickers on their vehicles.” Officers allowed the use of blue light include specified officers in the Transport Department (non-commercial wing), not below the rank of the Assistant District Transport officer and (commercial wing) not below the rank of Traffic Manager, Excise and Taxation officers and Officer of the Food and Supplies Department not below the rank District Food and Supplies Controller. Official word Those entitled to the blue light facility are likely to be asked to paste permission stickers on their vehicles — JS Sandhu, Principal Secretary, Transport
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Supreme Court ruling will not affect Bibi, for now
Chandigarh, July 10 In Punjab, former minister Bibi Jagir Kaur and former legislator Mangal Ram Bansal are the only two politicians who have been sentenced to more than two years. However, since the order of the apex court will only be applicable to politicians convicted "henceforth," the leaders would not be affected immediately. They have appealed against their conviction. Bibi Jagir Kaur was convicted by a special CBI court for illegal confinement and abortion of her daughter Harpreet Kaur last year. She was awarded a five-year sentence. Bansal was handed out a seven-year sentence in April this year in a case involving embezzlement of paddy. Also, former Agriculture Minister Tota Singh was handed over a one-year conviction for misusing the official vehicle of the school board. He has appealed against the conviction. However, the decision could have serious repercussions for former CM Amarinder Singh facing trial in the Ludhiana city centre scam. If convicted, he would be out of active politics.
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Anganwari staff cane-charged
Sangrur, July 10 The workers were protesting against the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development as it has reportedly refused to accept recommendations of the Indian Labour Conference with regard to giving minimum wages to them. Earlier, hundreds of anganwari workers and helpers, led by state president of the Anganwari Mulazam Union Usha Rani, gathered at the local railway station and rallied towards the district administrative complex. Seeing the main gates of the complex closed, the protesters tried to scale its boundary wall. To thwart their attempts, the police personnel deployed there resorted to a mild lathicharge. Some women constables allegedly manhandled anganwari workers to keep them away from the complex. Decrying the police action, Usha Rani said a couple of workers were injured and one fell unconscious. She alleged even male police personnel hit them with lathis. Station House Officer (SHO) of the city police station Harinder Singh claimed the police had not lathicharged the protesters. He said they had just stopped them from entering the complex by scaling its boundary wall. Later, a deputation of the anganwari workers submitted a memorandum of their demands to Additional Deputy Commissioner Pritam Singh Johl.
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‘Uncle Judges’ in Punjab & Haryana HC
Chandigarh, July 10 How advocates benefit
An Additional Advocate-General’s take-home salary is approximately Rs 80,000. Besides, he is allowed private practice, as long as the cases are not against the state. In Haryana alone, 10 Additional AGs are related to sitting and retired Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. At least five Additional AGs are related to sitting Judges; three to retired Judges and two to retired Judges on post-retirement assignment. In Punjab, an Additional AG is related to a sitting Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge.The daughter of a retired Supreme Court Judge is functioning as an Additional AG in the Punjab AG's office. The association of law officers with VIPs can hardly be considered a disqualification and the competence of some of them has never been questioned. Otherwise too, their recruitment can hardly be challenged on the grounds of “connections”. In any case, the appointment of a law officer is the state government’s prerogative and the entire process is carried out in consultation with the Advocate-General. But then their presence is not in consonance with the age-old saying that “justice should not only be done, but also seen to be done”.
How the govt benefits
The upshot of appointing relatives of Judges as law officers has been a matter of guesses and surmises since long. Though there is nothing to validate that the Judges do get influenced, the appointments of their kith and kin as law officers has remained a matter of criticism. Their appointments came under the scanner only recently with a section of the Punjab and Haryana High Court advocates launching a protest. Describing the trend as harmful “for the independence of the judiciary,” they asked a sitting Judge to “begin a new era in judicial honesty by asking his son to resign from the post of Additional Advocate-General so that other judges may follow suit”. The advocates wrote: “Now it has become a routine that as soon as one becomes Judge, his son is appointed Additional Advocates-General by both Panjab or Haryana Governments and the UT Administration takes him on their panel without any experience….” Old-timers insist the willingness of the government to appoint relatives of Judges as law officers goes beyond a mere attempt to oblige them. It could be a part of a well-planned strategy to appease them. More often than not the AG's office comes across a situation where a Judge is critical of the government’s functioning. Replies are often filed late, court orders are not comprehended and if understood, not implemented. As a result, the law officers too are reprimanded and government officials summoned to court. Available information suggests that instead of streamlining the processes, an attempt is possibly made to escape or dilute the consequence of inaction by asking the relative of some Judge to appear. As of now there is nothing to substantiate either the making of such an attempt, or the success of it. Undoubtedly, the potential and powers of some Judges to fight off any such attempt are well-established.
Why the system is flayed
The presence of relatives in the AG's office not only gives the impression of influence being at work in the recruitment process, but also leaves litigants with an uncorroborated impression that justice has been a victim. The appointments also attract criticism as the family of a Judge, who has three relatives in the AG's office, gets Rs 2 lakh plus every month.
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Family cries foul as proclaimed offender dies after ‘police chase’
Kapurthala, July 10 A police team went to the house of Mandeep Singh in Chuharwali area early this morning to arrest him in a three-year-old case pertaining to a clash. On seeing policemen, Mandeep reportedly ran towards neaby fields. Two policemen gave him a chase, but returned empty handed and asked area residents to help them arrest the accused. Mandeep was later found lying unconscious in the fields by students and staff of a government school in the vicinity. He was rushed to the Civil Hospital where he was declared brought dead. The deceased’s mother Raj Rani allged: “The two policemen, a constable and a head constable, who chased him, had beaten him brutally and dumped him in the fields which caused his death”. The matter flared up as relatives of the youth alleged that the police was trying to hush up the matter by starting proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC. They held a protest at the hospital for two hours, following which DSP Paramjit Singh assured them to hold an inquiry into the matter. Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Kulwant Singh claimed: “The police party could not apprehend Mandeep, who might have hid in paddy fields and inhaled toxic gases which caused his death. The postmortem report would ascertain the cause of death which may also be due to a heart attack”. Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police Inderbir Singh said an inquiry would be held only if the postmortem report suggested death due to physical assault.
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Bills not paid, internet access to police denied
Mohali, July 10 Sources said the Police Department had not paid outstanding bills to the tune of Rs 41.63 lakh to HCL, following which the company had disconnected the internet connection of police control rooms in Mohali, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Patiala, Ludhiana and Amritsar districts. Without internet, the control rooms cannot find the location of PCR vehicles in their area. The PCR vehicles are stationed at strategic points to deal with crime and emergency situations. The location of these vehicles is detected through ground positioning system (GPS). After getting an emergency call, the control room directs the nearest stationed PCR vehicle to reach the spot. “With no internet service, we are unable to know the exact location of our vehicles”, said a police official. Besides, daily crime reports cannot be mailed to senior officers in these districts. Sources said the connection was snapped on June 15 by HCL, which provides services to run Dial 100 project. The Punjab Police Housing Corporation, which is responsible for the payment of bills, has not paid the dues for the past one year, the sources said. To run the project, the company has also hired the services of other companies for the installation of SIM in PCR vehicles for GPS. The sources said the HCL could not release payment to these companies for the past three months due to non-receipt of bills. The sources claimed the Dial 100 service could also be affected if the payment was not made soon. A senior official said a letter had been sent to the Punjab DGP to apprise him of the situation. Services hit in 6 dists
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Dera Sachkhand deputy chief flown to Pune
Jalandhar, July 10 The tussle between the two had been on for over a month. After hectic parleys and negotiations, Bawa was made to board a plane to Pune and shift base there. Newly appointed dera trustee Madan Bhatti confirmed that Bawa had flown to Pune from the Rajasansi airport this morning. Sources said Bawa claimed that he was ill for the past two days and could not leave. The dera officials got his medical examination done, procured a fitness certificate and sent him off. The dera has formed a new trust after the resignation of its seven trustees on June 9. Trust manager Amrik said an official declaration in this regard would be made by the dera chief. The administration has made tight security arrangements at the dera to prevent any untoward incident.
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Delhi University Decision
New Delhi, July 10 This decision was taken at a meeting attended by
former Chairman of the National Minorities Commission,Tarlochan Singh, and JD (U) Member of Parliament from Bihar Sabir Ali. Under the new university's four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) of Delhi University, Punjabi and Urdu will not be taught in the first and second semesters. The 11-member committee consisted of Dr Prithviraj Thapar, Harcharan Kaur, Surender Pal Singh, Parkash Singh Gill, Raghubir Singh, Dr Gurmohinder Singh, Dr Harbhajan Singh, Dr M Hasnain, Dr Mulla Bakhsh, Dr Sajid Hussain and Dr Shoaib Fatmi. President of the DSGMC Manjit Singh (GK) said the university decision would harm efforts to promote both the languages that had been given the second language status in Delhi. He saw a conspiracy behind the decision. Tarlochan Singh said a delegation should meet President Pranab Mukherjee on the matter. Sabir Ali said he had taken up the issue with Vice-President Hamid Ansari who had written a letter to the President. The Registrar, DU, Alka Sharma, refused to comment.
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PU releases uniform fee structure
The fee structure for the colleges situated in Punjab and Chandigarh were finalised today and sent to all the colleges. PU officials said colleges overcharging students would face action as per the university rules. “There were complaints that the colleges in Punjab did not stick to one uniform fee structure. Therefore, we decided that the colleges should be informed about the uniform fee structure in advance in a bid to save innocent students from being fleeced,” university officials said. For BA, BCom and BSc students, Chandigarh-based colleges will charge Rs 12,300, Rs 15,000 and Rs 13,500 per annum respectively. Students taking admission in MA, MCom and MSc in Chandigarh would pay Rs 14,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 15,000 per annum respectively. Similarly, BA, BCom and BSc students studying in its various affiliated colleges in Punjab will pay Rs 10,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 11,200 per annum. MA, MCom and MSc students studying in Punjab colleges will pay Rs 14,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 15,000 per annum. “All the charges will be included in the fee. This fee will be same for all three-year course students in colleges of Punjab and Chandigarh,” officials said. Science students will have to pay Rs 1,800 annual fee for add-on courses and Rs 600 as lab charges while students in other streams will have to pay Rs 1,200 per annum for add-on courses.
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1 crore residents accessed services under RTS Act
Nawanshahr, July 10 “Sixty-nine services have already been brought under the purview of the RTS Act while the state government is also looking to bring 87 more services under the Act,” said Aggarwal. Aggarwal along with C Roul, Principal Secretary, Punjab Governance Reforms Department, today visited the district to review the implementation of the RTS Act and E-District Project. He said the commission had taken suo-moto notice of 75 RTS cases, out of which 60 had been disposed of. Deputy Commissioner Tanu Kashyap said that out of notified 69 RTS Services, 20 were being provided through Suvidha Kendras and 47 under E-District. As many as 25,491 applications of the 26,474 applications received were disposed of last month. Aggarwal also visited the Saanjh Kendra at the SSP Office, DTO office to take stock of the delivery of public utility services under the RTS Act.
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Govt survey to identify hepatitis patients on anvil
Ludhiana, July 10 The department had recently conducted a state-wide cancer survey. It will hold the survey with the help of PGI, Chandigarh, government medical colleges of the state, Christian Medical College and Hospital and Dayanand Medical College and Hospital. The Health Department has already held sensitisation workshops for health experts and paediatricians. Sources said, “In the last two years, 309 cases of Hepatitis-C have been reported in the state. And a majority of them are from rural area of the Malwa region. However, the number of Hepatitis -B cases is less compared to the number of Hepatitis-C cases.” An officer of the Heath Department said, “Our focus is to raise awareness about the two diseases among people from rural areas.” Dr Ashok Nayyar, Director Health Services, Punjab, said, “A 22-member core committee has been constituted to decide on how to conduct the survey. ”
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PRTC: Reduce prices for bulk purchase of diesel
Patiala, July 10 The committee had said that public sectors, including transport unions, should not be charged more for bulk purchase of diesel. As the Central Government has increased the prices for bulk purchase of diesel by Rs 11 per litre, the expenditure of PRTC had gone up by Rs 10 lakh per day. PRTC Managing Director DPS Kharbanda said the steering committee has in principle agreed that the state transport unions should not be charged more for bulk purchase of diesel. “Once this recommendation is implemented, our financial health will improve drastically,” he said.
— TNS
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Ropar plant fire
Ropar, July 10 Over 125 engineers at the plant say the engineers are being victimised. Leaders of PSEB Engineers Association claimed that the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) team that had also visited the plant to investigate the December 29 fire could not find the exact cause of the fire. A team headed by Ropar Thermal Plant former chief engineer K Lall had conducted the inquiry into the incident. The team had filed a charge sheet against 22 engineers. The association leaders demanded that the show cause notices issued to three officers should also be withdrawn.
— TNS
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Re-examine extension to PTU Vice Chancellor: HC
Chandigarh, July 10 The ruling by the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Augustine George Masih came on a petition filed by Narinder Paul Singh against the state of Punjab and other respondents through counsel Sanjiv Bansal and R.
Kartikeya. Claiming to be aggrieved by the extension granted to Dr Arora in a meeting of the Board of Governors held on October 5, 2011, the petitioner contended that the respondent was “not even eligible to occupy the office of Vice Chancellor”. He had claimed that Dr Arora was “ineligible” in terms of minimum qualification prescribed by the
UGC. He said Dr Arora “did not possess requisite experience nor could be construed to be a distinguished person in the field of technical education”. Moreover, the entire process was carried out in a “secretive manner”, he stated. After about five days of its reconstitution, the Board of Governors met. “Though the term of the Vice Chancellor was to expire in December 2011, a table item was brought in the meeting hurriedly and in a secretive manner to grant extension,” he said. Disposing of the petition, the Bench directed: “The question of extension to Dr Arora by the Board of Governors on October 5, 2011, would be re-examined by the new Board of Governors.
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No class facilities for convicts of heinous crimes: HC
Chandigarh, July 10 “Get a compliance report from jail superintendents and file status report in the High Court before the next date of hearing,” the Bench directed during the resumed hearing of two PILs filed by advocate HC
Arora. He was seeking quashing of jail manuals of Haryana and Chandigarh providing for classification of prisoners as the impugned provisions resulted into enjoyment of better class facilities by prisoners and under trials involved in murder and rape cases. The Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Augustine George Masih also directed the Haryana Government to amend its circular dated June 21, 2012, which does not debar prisoners involved in murder cases from grant of better class facilities in state jails, and directed the government to debar such prisoners from enjoying better class facilities. The Chief Justice, speaking for the Bench, expressed his dismay over the fact that the circular debarred the prisoners involved in lesser heinous crime such as theft, cheating, robbery, but those involved in murders were entitled to enjoy such facilities.
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Teenaged girl gang-raped in Amritsar
Amritsar, July 10 As he was known to her, she accompanied him to a shop for purchasing a mobile SIM card. Once inside the shop, the accused downed the shutters and raped her, the girl alleged. The accused then called his four friends who too raped her. The incident came to light this morning when the victim escaped from captivity and sought police help. A complaint has been lodged at the Beas police station. Three of the accused have been arrested.
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Chandigarh, July 10
Chandigarh, July 10
Chandigarh, July 10
Chandigarh, July 10