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Now, jail staff to face ‘pat-down’ at Faridkot jail
Faridkot, July 16
In a new initiative to check the inflow of drugs in jail, henceforth, it is not only the visitors who will have to face an enhanced ‘pat-down’ before they meet an inmate in Faridkot Central Jail. Even the jail staff will be thoroughly frisked before they enter into the jail for duty.

Bathinda MP defends pictures of CM Badal on 108 ambulances; flays Cong on Tytler issue
Mansa, July 16
Member of Parliament from Bathinda Harsimrat Kaur Badal today hailed the decision of the Delhi High Court dismissing the plea of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar challenging a trial court order to frame charges against him in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case relating to the killing of six people in Sultanpuri in Delhi.

Army officer arrested for abetting wife’s suicide
Abohar, July 16
The Abohar police has arrested Captain Sandeep Tomar of Bihar Regiment in connection with a case registered after the death of his wife Shaveta Singh.

EARLIER STORIES

	Unpaid for four months, DIET staff hold dharna July 16, 2013
	Cops in a fix as elopement case gains political overtones July 15, 2013
	Faridkot jail inmates to be medically examined July 13, 2013
	PURC Muktsar cries for attention July 12, 2013
	Collector orders Army to vacate school land July 11, 2013
	Staff crunch ails health services in Jalalabad July 10, 2013
	Carving new colony on sugar mill land puts PUDA in a fix July 9, 2013
	20-yr-old girl raped in Ferozepur village July 8, 2013
	Another prisoner dies in Faridkot jail July 6, 2013

	Now, jail staff to face ‘pat-down’ at Faridkot jail Balwant Garg/TNS Faridkot, July 16 In a new initiative to check the inflow of drugs in jail, henceforth, it is not only the visitors who will have to face an enhanced ‘pat-down’ before they meet an inmate in Faridkot Central Jail. Even the jail staff will be thoroughly frisked before they enter into the jail for duty. Also, it is not the jail staff that will perform this checking duty. A special check- post of Punjab Police will thoroughly examine every person before his entry into the jail premises. Taking note of the many incidents of violence and an increased number of deaths in the jail in recent times, a joint meeting of the civil administration, police, jail authorities and the health department today decided that besides the comprehensive medical examination of all jail inmates, the job to check the flow of drugs into the jail be given to Punjab Police. Ravi Bhagat, Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot, said a special police check-post would be established at the main entry of the jail and every visitor, including the jail staff, would have to face checking before entering. The participants at today’s meeting said a mix of inmate ingenuity, complicit visitors and some corrupt jail staff had kept the level of inmate drug abuse constant in the recent times and all efforts to reduce it had failed. So now, by giving the checking job to the police, they were hopeful of getting rid of the problem. Besides the corrupt jail staff, the drugs pass on from a visiting family member. Drug carried in lunch boxes that are supposed to be exempt from thorough searches in prison, is a common practice. “The imagination and creativity of people under lock and key boggles the mind,” said a police officer while recounting a case in which drugs were hidden in capsicum. Besides some jail officials straying beyond their job description and facilitating the drugs supply in jail, a recent boom in cellphone smuggling has further complicated matters. For the medical examination of over 1,800 prisoners, a team of six medical experts has been constituted. The team will examine all inmates for all major diseases, including hepatitis, tuberculosis, diabetes and hypertension. A laboratory team will also accompany the medical team for various lab examinations, said Bhagat. The team will examine the prisoners under the supervision of the Faridkot SDM. The extensive countermeasures to check the flow of drugs and upgrading the health services in the jail will help in improving the situation, Bhagat added. In the last two years, the Faridkot jail has witnessed many incidents of skirmishes, violence and death of 24 prisoners, including seven suicides.
	Bathinda MP defends pictures of CM Badal on 108 ambulances; flays Cong on Tytler issue Tribune News Service Mansa, July 16 Member of Parliament from Bathinda Harsimrat Kaur Badal today hailed the decision of the Delhi High Court dismissing the plea of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar challenging a trial court order to frame charges against him in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case relating to the killing of six people in Sultanpuri in Delhi. During a media interaction at Budhlada in Mansa district, Harsimrat termed the court’s decision as a historical verdict and said that the CBI, at the behest of the Congress-led government, used to present a weak case against Tytler. Referring to the Central Government’s decision to stop funding for the Centrally sponsored health services and asking the state to remove the pictures of the chief minister from the 108 ambulances, she said the state government had every right to use the picture of the Chief Minister. She reminded the union government that it was the right of the state governments to have requisite funds earmarked for development and other welfare schemes from the Union government. The government was releasing the funds and not charity, she added. Harsimrat heard the complaints of the people of Mansa on the second day today and assured them of redressing their grievances at the earliest. She said the laxity on the part of officials in carrying forward the government’s directive to ensure proper execution of the schemes and programmes would not be tolerated. She directed the officials of the district to expedite the execution of development works in the Mansa-Bathinda belt.
	Army officer arrested for abetting wife’s suicide Our Correspondent Abohar, July 16 The Abohar police has arrested Captain Sandeep Tomar of Bihar Regiment in connection with a case registered after the death of his wife Shaveta Singh. She had reportedly ended her life on July 9 at the official residence of the Captain here. The body was shifted to the Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital and preserved in the mortuary as the police waited for the arrival of her parents before getting the post-mortem conducted. The post-mortem was conducted under tight security by Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Dr JC Takkar and Dr KD Vashisht after the parents of the deceased reached here from Lucknow. Her father Ram Naresh Singh reportedly told the police that Shaveta was married to Captain Tomar in Kanpur on February 12, 2013 with much fanfair but her in-laws have been harassing her allegedly for a luxury car, residential plot and money. During the inquiry on such a complaint earlier, Captain Tomar and his parents are learnt to have refuted the allegations. The police had registered FIR No. 126 against Captain Sandeep Tomar, his mother Padma Rani and father Mangal Singh of Kanpur under section 304-B/34 of the IPC. The body of the deceased was taken to her native village Gajipur in Lucknow district of Uttar Pradesh for cremation. The local police and the Army separately investigated the case. Captain Tomar was produced in a court here that remanded him in police custody till July 22 as the police wanted to take him to Kanpur besides interrogating him in custody.
	Girl dies after falling in manhole, residents protest Tribune News Service Muktsar, July 16 A large number of local residents today lodged a protest outside the city police station after putting the body of a five-year-old girl on the road. The girl had died after falling into an open manhole in Adarsh Nagar area today. The protesters were demanding the registration of a case against the officials of the water supply and sanitation department for neglect. Simran, daughter of Sonu Kumar, an electrician, had gone to buy a packet of biscuits from a nearby shop, but fell in the manhole and died. Later, the worried family members went to locate her and found a packet of biscuits lying outside the manhole and saw her body inside. Thereafter, the local residents surrounded the police station. Meanwhile, DSP (City) KPS Chahal reached the spot and pacified the protesters after registering a case against the officials concerned.
	Police ‘torture’ victim striving to find aid Tribune News Service Muktsar, July 16 The alleged victim of third degree torture by police Gurlal Singh, a Dalit youth, a resident of Danewala village near Malout town, is virtually unable to walk and his health is deteriorating day by day. Without enough money for treatment, Gurlal with the help of his relatives, is visiting government offices seeking some financial aid. He even met the vice-chairman of the National SC/ST Commission Raj Kumar Verka recently, who further spoke to the Deputy Commissioner, Muktsar, to give some aid to him. Later, he also met the DC, but the aid is yet to be provided. On July 11, Gurlal had gone to a private hospital in Bathinda, where the doctor advised him to undergo an MRI test. But till date, he has not been able to arrange the money for it. On the other hand, the cops, including the former SHO of Malout police station, inspector Rameshwar Singh, who have been booked for allegedly illegally confining Gurlal, applying third degree torture and passing casteist remarks against him on May 15, are still at large. On June 21, the SC/ST Commission had even directed the cops to arrest the accused within three days. However, only one accused, Sukhpal Singh, an Akali leader, has been arrested. He had even filed nominations for the post of sarpanch, when he was evading arrest and was elected as sarpanch from inside the jail. The police said they were conducting raids to arrest the remaining accused. It may be mentioned that the FIR was lodged in this regard only after the victim appeared before the Chief Minister, who ordered the Deputy Commissioner to conduct a probe.