Amritsar, August 2
Rumours of a gang of robbers on the prowl continue to take a heavy toll as either innocent people are being targeted by those on "theekri pehras" or some residents are settling scores with their rivals.

This is happening despite the fact that the police has warned the residents against taking law in their own hands.

In the recent instance, a youth, identified as Davinder Singh, has lost his life in the same way in Maqboolpura last night. He was rushed to a hospital after he was brutally thrashed and injured by residents of the Maqboolpura area, who were holding "theekri pehra" on the intervening night of July 31 and August 1.

The Maqboolpura police has initiated action under the Criminal Procedure Code for the time being and is waiting for the statement of the family and postmortem report for taking further action.

In another instance, Varinder Kumar, a railway employee in the Fatehgarh Churian area, who was going to the railway station in the wee hours, was badly beaten up. Even though he showed his identity cards and told the assailants that he lives in railway quarters, but nobody listened to his pleas. Now he is fighting for his life in the Railway Hospital in the B-Block area.

In a similar incident, two youths were battered by residents in the Medical Enclave area, while a mentally deranged woman was allegedly beaten up at Mallanwala village. They were saved after police teams reached the spots. Residents suspected that she was member of the robbers’ gang.

Earlier, a 15-year-old boy lost his life in the Guru Ki Wadali area when a brick thrown by residents on a "theekri pehra" hit him in the chest. He was sleeping in the verandah of his house. Kulwant Singh, a resident of Pandori Waraich village, was shot dead by armed youths. The youths, who had enmity with Kulwant Singh as they belonged to the opposite group, allegedly took the advantage of rumours and shot him dead.

Two mentally challenged youths were beaten up in the Chheharta area, while one of them was tied up to a tree for the whole night.

Reports of such instances continue to pour in, while the Police Department has failed to instill a sense of security in residents.

The situation is so grim that the city Police Commissioner Ram Singh and DIG (Border Range) Paramraj Umranangal had to hold a press conference a couple of days ago to express their concern over the issue and appealed to the residents not to panic and refrain from taking law in their hands.

Despite this, residents, armed with sharp-edged weapons, continue taking law in their hands. Ironically, the residents holding such "theekri pehras" spare no time in attacking the suspects without investigating whether they are innocent persons returning home during late night hours or part of a gang. It is resulting in the victims ending up landing in hospitals.

The migrants involved in labour jobs in various industrial units have asked their employers to relieve them early in fear of being beaten up by residents.

Amritsar, August 2
A Mining Officer was attacked by four persons, who were involved in illegal sand mining, at Sherobaga village in the Beas area.

Kuldeep Singh, Mining Officer, Rayya, lodged a complaint with the Beas police in this connection.

He told the police that Jagdeep Singh, Heera Singh, Malkeet Singh and Dauda, all residents of Sherobaga village, attacked him with wooden sticks when he asked them to refrain from illegal mining from the river bed.

He said instead of stopping the illegal mining the four entered in an altercation with him and attacked him with sticks, he alleged.

The Beas police has registered a case under Sections 353, 186 and 379 of the IPC and Section 21 of the Mining Act against them. No arrest has been made so far.

Amritsar, August 2
Despite having put numerous efforts, the district administration has failed to curb the begging menace in the city.

A number of children can be seen begging on various busy traffic intersections in the city which not only causes nuisance to the commuters but also risks their lives.

The Amritsar administration has recently arrested 26 homeless people from different parts of the city under the offence and put them at Raain Basera being run from Old Karam Singh Ward here.

Sources say the possibility of an organised begging mafia cannot be ruled out. The police keeps silent till it receives any complaint in this regard.

In October last, after repeated complaints of snatchings and theft around the Golden Temple, the Kotwali police team had nabbed four persons, including two children, for loitering and asking for alms around the shrine. But the police did not book them under the Prevention of Begging Act.

The Kotwali police in-charge, Sukhwinder Singh Randhawa, had agreed that such elements could be involved in theft or looting incidents, adding they could not do anything except putting them at Raain Basera, run by the administration in collaboration with District Red Cross Society for rehabilitating the homeless persons.

"It is an organised racket. We keep receiving reports that a number of migrants loitering around the Golden Temple have been indulging in lootings or lifting the belongings of devotees. We nabbed four persons yesterday but we later put them at the Raain Basera without registering any case against them," Randhawa said.

Not even a single case has been registered by the police under the Prevention of Begging Act so far. In the absence of the antecedents of such migrants, it becomes difficult to trace them.

Around a year ago, the authorities had busted a gang and got released over 10 Nepali children who were made to beg around the Golden Temple complex. On interrogation, it was found that they were taught to play tricks to draw the attention of general public.

The most preferred destinations for beggars are Golden Temple, Durgiana Mandir, Shivala Mandir, Dassehra Ground, Longawali Devi Mandir, Bhandari Pul and traffic light points on Lawrence Road, Crystal Chowk and Mall road etc.

"We are putting in our best efforts to rehabilitate the homeless people but it requires a rigorous campaign to curb begging. There is no denying the fact that organised begging exists. I will soon get in touch with the Police Commissioner to formulate some concrete action plan. It is quite surprising that our accommodation with food offer did not find favour with them," Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rajat Aggarwal said.

Amritsar, August 2
The Amritsar rural police has cracked the blind murder case in which Sukhjit Singh (30), a resident of Mahaar village, was found murdered at his residence.

Sources said the police arrested the deceased's real brother who allegedly slit his throat.

Following the statement of the deceased's mother, Bhupinder Kaur, the police has booked two persons.

Paramraj Umranangal, DIG Border Range, said the investigation revealed that Sukhjit was an acute drug addict and he used to dominate his family members.

The Amritsar rural police is likely to give the details of the case in a press conference tomorrow.

Amritsar, August 2
Even as the Amritsar railway station was proposed to be developed into a world-class facility in the 2009 railway budget, the infrastructure here is far from satisfactory.

The Amritsar railway station

The Central government very recently announced funds to the tune of over Rs 10 crore for the development of Amritsar railway station recently but some feel that the joint move of the Ministry of Railways and Tourism may not help things much.

Besides the 2009 budgetary allocation, the Central government had also prepared a plan to upgrade this station in 2006.

Of the six platforms (1, 1-A, 2, 3, 4, 5), only platform number 1 has toilets. On the remaining platforms, passengers and visitors are forced to urinate in the open. Since a public toilet is in a deplorable condition, second and general category passengers face a lot of inconvenience. Another toilet for women is locked.

The toilet at the entrance of the railway station needs immediate repair and cleaning. Resham Singh, a commuter, said the current ticket windows were insufficient to cater to the high number of passengers at the station. He rued that the ticket counters at Railway link road, Katra Bhai Sant Singh and outside Durgiana Temple are lying closed.

A private consultant had been hired to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) to provide state-of-the-art facilities at the local railway station and the funding would be done by the Union Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Railways. The Tourism Ministry has provided the railways with a grant of Rs 10.28 crore for the project. The Railway Ministry would provide the required land.

The proposed plan says that the railway station will have a retiring room, VIP lounge, waiting room, waiting hall, parking area and circulating area etc. The facilities will be added to the railway station as it witnesses the arrival and departure of as many as 129 trains daily and records a daily footfall of about 27,000 passengers. The railway authorities, facing criticism for not providing quality amenities, infrastructure and environment for sometime at the railway station, have proposed a slew of development projects here.

The railways had set in motion the plan for setting up a food plaza. The tender process is about to start for this after the only refreshment room at the railway station has remained closed many a times for non-payment of dues.

Amritsar, August 2
Mumbai-based Ziqitza Health Care Ltd (ZHL), which runs the 108 Ambulance service in Punjab, has come out with monetary benefits and pension scheme for the employees who lose their life while performing their duty.

The company has extended these benefits to the family of an employee who died due to cardiac arrest while on duty. The deceased, Avtarjeet Singh, was a driver in Dial 108 who died due to cardiac arrest on April 27 last year. He was survived by his wife and three-year-old daughter.

Sunil Gandhi, Operations Manager, 108 Emergency, Punjab, said, "We took up the matter to get his (the deceased) family the benefits and helped them get all the necessary documentation for claims. Then we forwarded their case to the head office," he said.

"We are in process to get family pension to the widow and the child from ESI and PF departments," he added.

The deceased's father, Gurmej Singh, received the cheque on behalf of his daughter-in-law. "I am thankful to the management who cared for us.”

Amritsar, August 2
A bunch of specially abled kids dancing to the tunes of AR Rahman’s Vande Matram made it a treat for all those who came to watch the retreat ceremony at the Wagah border on Friday evening.

The one-of-its-kind act at the Wagah by the students of Ability Unlimited Foundation AUF was enjoyed with loads of applause and patriotic fervour by one and all. But it was the innovative musical performance on wheelchair that held everyone in awe. AUF has been celebrating the extraordinary talent of the special kids for three decades.