R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Fatehgarh Sahib
Youth dies in road mishap: One youth died and two got injured when a truck hit a bike here on Thursday. One of the injured youth was referred to the PGI in Chandigarh. Triple riding on their bike, the three youths hit a truck while trying to overtake a bus. The police said the three were students of various schools in the area. Manpreet Singh died on the spot while Rahul and Jagdeep Singh got injured. The police handed over the dead body to his family after conducting a postmortem.

Patiala
Teachers end 4-day protest: Teachers of government aided schools ended their four-day dharna outside the office of Patiala Deputy Commissioner here on Thursday. They have been demanding that aided schools and government schools be merged and their pending salaries released. On August 27, they will gherao the office of DPI (Schools) in Mohali.

Sangrur
Farmers protest, demand relief: Members of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) and Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union on Thursday staged a dharna outside the district administrative complex here, demanding compensation of Rs 2 lakh. They also demanded jobs for families of those debt-ridden farmers who had committed suicide. They also submitted a memorandum, enlisting their demands, to the district administration. Darbara Singh Chhajla, district vice-president of BKU (Ugrahan), said over 3,500 farmers and farm labourers in Sangrur district had committed suicide in the past 13 years. They blamed the government for not providing adequate assistance to the farmers.

HARYANA

Kaithal
Man killed in mishap: One person was killed and three others had a miraculous escape when a truck loaded with apples fell on a mini-truck near Hansi Butana Canal Bridge, on the Kaithal-Ambala road today. The incident took place in the morning when the truck, while trying to over take the mini-truck, fell over it. Residents of nearby villages to the spot and rescued the injured.

Rewari
Farmer ends life: A farmer Kaptan Singh (45) committed suicide at Tatrapur Istemurar village, Thursday morning. The police said he apparently ended his life due to depression.

Sirsa
9 buffaloes electrocuted: Nine buffaloes were electrocuted and three persons, including two women, were injured when an 11,000-volt power line fell into a canal where they were bathing near Alika village in Sirsa today. DHBVN officials assured the affected that they would get compensation.

JAMMU & KASHMIR