J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Villagers block highway for six hours

Batala, July 22
Hundreds of irate residents of Jaintupur village near here protested against the alleged highhandedness of a former chairman of the Amritsar zila parishad and held a six-hour long dharna on the busy Amritsar-Pathankot Highway.

Manmohan Singh, SSP, Majithia, rushed to the spot and assured residents that justice would be delivered to them, after which the dharna was lifted.

The Police sources claimed that Pappu Jaintupur, a former chairman of the Amritsar zila parishad, had allegedly instigated some of his henchmen to attack a shopkeeper who had rented out the chairman’s commercial establishment to a liquor contractor without his permission.

Victim Amritpal Singh, who hails from Ghaistpura village falling in the Fatehgarh Churian Vidhan Sabha segment, said he owned a shop on the main road of Jaintipur which he rented out to a wine contractor, much against the wishes of Pappu, who also runs a liquor vend in the area.

Annoyed with the decision of Amritpal, Pappu called him to his house and forced him to nullify his contract with the contractor but when he denied accepting the latter’s condition, he was threatened with dire consequences. — TNS