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Question papers for school exams on sale,
Rs 500 each
Form panel to remove vends located along NHs, state told
Flood politics in full flow in run-up to Lok Sabha elections
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Pannu assault case
The accused, Baba Panesar and Gursewak Singh, appear in the district courts in Mohali on Friday. A Tribune photograph
Sidhu, Joshi share dais, cold vibes at Amritsar function
Namdhari factionalism touches new low
Baton Charge The protesting members of the Punjab Students Union were cane-charged outside the Mini Secretariat in Patiala on Friday
SGPC objects to title of Sunny Deol’s film
CM has let down Gujarat’s Sikh farmers: NCM
1.5 lakh cycles to carry CM’s photo
Pak intruder arrested in Ferozepur
Govt wants to remove probe panel member
4 cops suspended for letting prisoners visit home
Fake medical certificate to gangster has cops perplexed
Arrested youths had decided to eliminate 1984 rioters: Police
ICAR member: Need to create rice industry
Granthi gets 5-year jail for rape attempt
HC: Can’t impose duty on inter-state sale of power
Probe into murder of Pradhan's kin biased: HC
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Question papers for school exams on sale,
Rs 500 each
Chandigarh September 13 The Tribune is in possession of a set of 27 question papers for these classes sent to a particular school. The Education Department had, on an experimental basis, mailed the question papers to schools.These were downloaded and sold in the market. Each set has three question papers each. There are reports of the paper being sold in Ferozepur, Fazilka, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana and Gurdaspur. Amolak Singh, a Class VIII student of a government school in Hoshiapur, said: “ I paid Rs 1,000 for the mathematics, science, English and Hindi papers. I distributed copies of the papers among my friends who shared the cost. Now exams seem fun." Talking to The Tribune, Anjali Bhawra, Principal Secretary, School Education, said: “It is unfortunate that question papers, expected to be in the safe custody of education providers, have been leaked." The Education Secretary said these were not the final question papers and were only meant for "comprehensive evaluation of ongoing teaching. We might send another set of papers for Classes IX and X”. A government schoolteacher in a Tarn Taran village said the September exams were important as their evaluation had an impact on the students' final marks. "Many teachers from nearby towns obtain copies of question papers and, hence, the papers are leaked from stationery shops.There have been reports of papers having been sold days before the examination," she explained. A school principal said that earlier question papers, printed by the Education Department, only came a day prior to the examination. This helped maintain secrecy. He said the schools should be allowed to conduct their exams as online papers were posing grave problems.
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Form panel to remove vends located along NHs, state told
Chandigarh, September 13 The panel will look into the issue of removing the vends along the national highways. For the purpose, the committee will conduct a survey to identify the vends that need to be removed. The licence holder of such liquor vends would get compensation or refunds of the amount deposited with the state government. The directions came during the resumed hearing of a public interest litigation filed by Arrive Safe Society through its president Harman Singh Sidhu. An NGO, it is seeking the removal of liquor vends along the national highways in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. Giving two months’ time to the authorities concerned, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Augustine George Masih also directed them to include the petitioner NGO as a member. The case now would come up for next hearing on November 8. The Bench has already made it clear that fresh licences for running liquor vends in proximity of highways and roadsides should not be issued, at least till the pendency of a petition filed in public interest on the issue. The Bench also asked the two states to carry out a survey to find out the number of liquor shops along the highways. The Bench made it clear that boards advertising liquor brands on vends too needed to be removed. For the purpose of submitting a report, four weeks have been granted to the secretaries of Local Bodies and Excise and Taxation, of the two states. The National Highway Authority of India, on a previous date of hearing, had informed the High Court that it has written to the chief secretaries of all the states for implementing guidelines issued by the National Safety Council of the Union Ministry of Surface Transport. The guidelines include the removal of vends from highways and roadsides. The counsel for the NHAI claimed the ministry had also sought action-taken reports from the states; and has directed that liquor vend should not be opened on the highways.
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Flood politics in full flow in run-up to Lok Sabha elections
Muktsar, September 13 The waterlogging has spelled doom for the villagers in most parts of the district. Accompanied by top state government officials and local SAD leaders, Badal tried to meet as many flood-hit people as possible. He, however, failed to provide any monetary relief and only assured of ‘girdawari’ and timely payment of pension amount. In the last almost a month, Badal has visited Muktsar thrice and spent seven days here. He is scheduled to visit some more villages in the coming days. The Congress leaders too don’t want to be left behind. Jakhar’s visit — he toured four villages in Gidderbaha assembly constituency where Badal had gone a day before — has come a few days after Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Partap Singh Bajwa along with several party leaders of the Malwa region had visited the rain-affected areas. Jakhar said: “The Centre gave Rs 50 crore to Punjab for disaster management in 2012-13 and Rs 96.77 crore in 2013-14. I received this information in reply to a question raised in the Assembly.” He even produced some documents to corroborate his claim. These visits, however, have failed to translate into any relief for the villagers. “The speeches are politically motivated. Badal is accusing the Centre of a step-motherly treatment whereas the Congress is accusing the state regime of befooling the people and misusing the funds sanctioned by the Union Government,” said Kuldip Singh, a resident of Bhundar village.
Badal to meet PM on flood compensation
Badal will take up the issue of compensation for the flood-hit with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh during the latter's visit here tomorrow, an official spokesperson said. He said the Chief Minister, who had spent the past several days touring the flood- affected areas, would demand adequate relief for the victims.
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Pannu assault case
Mohali, September 13 An Uttarakhand Police team that had earlier reached the district courts arrested Gurvinder Singh alias Baba Panesar of Ludhiana and Gursewak Singh Sonu of Jatiwal village in Patiala district. The two accused had earlier been released on bail. Another accused, Darshan Singh of Patiala, has already been arrested by the Uttarkhand Police. Sources said the police team had booked the suspects for hurting people’s religious sentiments. The attackers had also allegedly uploaded a video clip of the incident on the Internet. The Mohali Cyber Crime Cell had booked unidentified persons under Sections 66-A of the IT Act and Sections 295-A, 298, 500 and 120- B of the IPC. Pannu was sent to Uttarakhand by the Punjab Government to help pilgrims that had been stranded in the flash floods in June. He was attacked there.
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Sidhu, Joshi share dais, cold vibes at Amritsar function
Amritsar, September 13 The MP, who reached here this afternoon, arrived at the party office to celebrate the announcement of Narendra Modi as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate in the evening. He had a word with other party leaders present there except Joshi and Chhina with whom he had fallen out after the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Prior to Sidhu's visit to the city on September 4 after a gap of over six months, his wife Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu had extended an olive branch to Joshi in a bid to sort out the differences. However, it seems all is not well between the two leaders. Earlier, talking to mediapersons, Sidhu said seeking answers from the state government on development projects in his constituency did not make him a rebel and it was his duty to question the government about it. "I have every right to pose a query to the government regarding projects in Amritsar. I have nothing against the state government," he said. On his war of words with Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, he said he had only responded to what the SAD president had stated about his pet projects, warning that he would give a "befitting reply" if provoked again. Sidhu said he would not give up his fight for Amritsar at any cost. About the Lok Sabha poll, he reiterated that he had never sought the party ticket from the BJP in the past and would not do so now. "I am a disciplined soldier of the party and will follow all orders." He denied feeling suffocated in the party or the alliance. He said he would spell out his future course of action at a press conference tomorrow.
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Namdhari factionalism touches new low
Ludhiana, September 13 Gurmukh Singh, son of assassinated Namdhari leader Avtar Singh Tari, today alleged that Thakur Dalip Singh had orchestrated the attack on his father and that the police had not arrested him due to political pressure. The development comes a day after Navtej Singh Namdhari, president of International Namdhari Sangat, and Bachittar Singh, both aides of Thakur Dalip Singh, were booked under the Information Technology Act for allegedly writing objectionable comments against the Satguru and Mata Chand Kaur (former Satguru Jagjit Singh's wife). Gurmukh Singh went a step further and alleged that the Thakur Dalip Singh faction had orchestrated the August 11 attack on Satguru Uday Singh while the latter was visiting Leicester in England. A resident of Amarsar village at Sirsa in Haryana, Gurmukh Singh was visiting the city to join the investigation at Sahnewal police station pertaining to the murder of his father. “Who else could have benefited from the elimination of my father? Thakur Dalip Singh wanted to kill my father as he (Avtar Singh Tari) was close to previous Satguru Jagjit Singh,” said Gurmukh Singh. On the other hand, Navtej Singh said, "All these are pressure tactics to silence the voice of Thakur Dalip Singh's sympathisers and to malign his image. Harjit Singh Toor, the man who had attacked Thakur Uday Singh in England, is the nephew of Sarwan Singh, in whose house the Dera chief was staying along with Mata Chand Kaur." He alleged that Avtar Singh Tari had many enemies as he was into all sorts of illegal activities. Tari had a meteoric rise. He used to run a small shop before becoming a Namdhari leader. Within a few years, he amassed 140 acres of land in Amarsar village and built two palatial houses in Mohali. An influential Namdhari leader, he was gunned down by two armed assailants travelling on a motorcycle on April 12, 2011, in Katani Kalan. It has been over two years, but the murder still remains a mystery.
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SGPC objects to title of Sunny Deol’s film
Amritsar, September 13 Talking to mediapersons here today, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said, “Dharmendra’s (Sunny Deol’s father) family has a huge fan-following in Punjab and, therefore, they should remove the word ‘Sahab’ in the film’s title, besides getting the movie cleared by the SGPC prior to its release.” Earlier, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh had opposed it: “The title, ‘Singh Sahab’, is bestowed on the Jathedars of the five Takhts and the ‘granthis’ of the Golden Temple. It is a sacred term and should not be used for commercial purpose.” Makkar, meanwhile, has hailed the Haryana Government’s move to rehabilitate Punjabi farmers. He said the SGPC had already sanctioned Rs 21 lakh for helping these around 160 families in
Haryana.
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CM has let down Gujarat’s Sikh farmers: NCM
Patiala, September 13 He said the CM was more concerned about his ties with Narendra Modi or else he would have impressed upon him to withdraw the case against the Sikh farmers in the Supreme Court. Speaking to The Tribune on the sidelines of a function organised at Multani Mal Modi College here, Dr Ajaib Singh claimed that the Gujarat Chief Minister was in the habit of terrorising minorities. “Rather than bestowing the title of ‘Sardar Modi’ on the Gujarat Chief Minister, Badal should work for the benefit of Sikh farmers in that state.” Dr Ajaib Singh said he had written to the Punjab CM, prevailing upon him to ask Modi to withdraw the Gujarat Government’s appeal pending in the Supreme Court. He had asked him to pull out of the NDA if Modi continued to “victimise” the Sikhs.
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1.5 lakh cycles to carry CM’s photo
Chandigarh, September 13 Despite the state facing a shortage of funds, it has placed an order for 1.50 lakh bicycles worth Rs 42 crore with three manufacturers in Ludhiana.The scheme will carry a photo of the Chief Minister to ensure government visibility as the countdown for the parliamentary elections begins. The Punjab Government will start distributing the cycles to girl students of Classes IX - XII from mid-October. Officials in the Social Welfare Department said a state- level function to distribute these bicycles will be held in Ludhiana and all cycles distributed by the year-end. Officials said three vendors had been chosen for supplying the bicycles. For quality control, the cycle parts were being checked before these were assembled. Mai Bhago Vidya Scheme, aimed at empowering the girlchild and encouraging girls to attend school regularly, was launched during their previous SAd-BJP term in office (2007-2012). During its previous tenure, the
SAD-BJP government had provided bicycles to 1.05 lakh girls studying by spending Rs 30 crore.
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Pak intruder arrested in Ferozepur
Ferozepur, September 13 The arrest was made from near Shameke border outpost along the India-Pakistan border in the Ferozepur sector. Sources said the foreigner had been identified as Feroz Alwar Din (65) of Hardo Sarai in Kasur district of Pakistan. They said the Pakistani national was found 100 metres inside the Indian territory ahead of the barbed wire fencing where he was roaming under suspicious conditions. The accused was arrested and later sent for a joint interrogation by various intelligence agencies, including the police. During interrogation, the Pakistani national reportedly claimed that he had inadvertently crossed the border and had “no sinister motive”.
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Govt wants to remove probe panel member
Chandigarh, September 13 Sources said the Industries Department had sent the file to the Home Department, requesting that Vishwa Bandhu be removed from the SIT. Bandhu is known for his uprightness. The proposal to remove him at this juncture, when the probe into illegal mining by mafia allegedly controlled by powerful politicians is on, raises questions on the genuineness of the probe. Top officials in the Industries Department admitted that they had sought permission from the Home Department to “relieve” Bandhu. “This has been done only because the officer has too much work on his hands. We have asked that he be removed only for some time,” said an officer, requesting anonymity. Only last month (August 7), the Punjab and Haryana High Court had pulled up the SIT chief, Nirmal Singh Dhillon, for going slow on the probe. The officer had sought another four months but was asked to finish the investigation earlier. The case is to come up for hearing on September 25. In April this year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the Punjab Government to constitute an SIT to identify and arrest the “big fish” involved in illegal mining. The SIT was originally to submit its report by May 27.
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4 cops suspended for letting prisoners visit home
Sangrur, September 13 The four HCs are Sukhwinder Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Gobind Singh and Harbans Singh. They were posted at Police Lines, Sangrur. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mandeep Singh Sidhu said the inquiry had been entrusted to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Amargarh. The SSP said the four HCs and the Sangrur Jail Pharmacist, also accused in the case, were produced in Judicial Magistrate’s (CJM) court today.
The CJM remanded them to police custody for another day. The SSP further said they were investigating as to which doctors had referred the undertrials to the hospitals located out of the jail premises. On September 11, the local police arrested the four HCs and jail pharmacist Harish Gupta under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Gupta referred the undertrials to Rajindra Hospital while the HCs would take them to their homes and return in the evening. The undertrials would pay the five accused Rs 1,000 each for each home visit.
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Fake medical certificate to gangster has cops perplexed
Ludhiana, September 13 The matter came to light when Raja’s mother Tripta Devi (57), who was released on parole on August 23, sent a medical certificate, issued by Dr Avinash Jindal, to Raja in Patiala Jail. On September 9, she was admitted to the Civil Hospital with multiple health complaints for a day. She got the certificate from Dr Jindal then. “I will look into the matter and speak to the Patiala Jail Superintendent on the issue,” said RP Meena, Additional Director General of Police
(ADGP), Prisons. Despite repeated attempts, Patiala Jail Superintendent and Dr Jindal could not be contacted. Dr RK Karkra, Senior Medical Officer (SMO), said “I had just verified the medical certificate, Dr Jindal is the right person
to talk to.” It is not the first time doctors at the civil Hospital have been under scanner for issuing fake certificates. Nearly three years ago, several doctors were arrested for issuing fake medico-legal reports. Rajiv Raja has been involved in over a dozen robberies and three murders in the city. He was nabbed in 2009.
Bending the law *
Notorious gangster tried to get parole based on a fake medical certificate *
The certificate had been sent to Rajan by his mother, Tripta Devi, who is out on parole
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Arrested youths had decided to eliminate 1984 rioters: Police
Fatehgarh Sahib, September 13 Gurmeet Singh Chauhan, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), said the accused, who had little knowledge of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots or the militancy era in the state, had planned to kill those leaders, who had orchestrated the riots. Chauhan said the youths did not belong to any terrorist organisation. A total of 23 youths in the age group of 20 to 25 have been arrested for planning to spread terror so far. Chauhan said the accused had come into contact with terrorists living abroad through social networking sites. These had been identified as Gurjit Singh of New Zealand, Bhupinder Singh of Hong Kong
and Jagdeep Singh of UAE, he said. Chauhan said the three terrorists would fund these youths through one Gurlal Singh to carry out illegal activities in the country. Chauhan said they were also pressuring the arrested youth to form a terrorist organisation. He said the youths had held four meetings in Fatehgarh Sahib and Amritsar in
this regard. The three terrorists offered to send more funds to the youths if they formed the organisation. The SSP said during investigation the youths had admitted to being involved in 25 cases of murder and robbery across the state.
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ICAR member: Need to create rice industry
Ludhiana, September 13 Dr Kokate lauded the PAU for achieving excellence in research and organising extension programmes. He emphasised the need to create a rice industry in the country and to achieve crop diversification. Meanwhile, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University inaugurated its 15th Pashu Palan Mela Dr KD Kokate said the mela was a good platform for farmers and scientists to share information.
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Granthi gets 5-year jail for rape attempt
Moga, September 13 The convict was working at a gurdwara in Dhalleke village where he tried to molest the 12-year-old girl. The victim raised a hue and cry, which forced the ‘granthi’ to flee from the spot. He was rounded up within a few hours of the incident. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict, failing to deposit which, he will have to undergo another three months in jail.
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HC: Can’t impose duty on inter-state sale of power
Chandigarh, September 13 Nearly three years after the government overlooked a Supreme Court order and issued notifications for generating funds through duty “to be levied on the sale of electricity in the course of inter-state sale/trade,” a Division Bench of the High Court has dubbed it as a mindless exercise and a continuous repetition of blunders. The Bench has also minced no words to say the state legislature has no power to impose such a tax. “Though it is a fit case for imposition of costs on the respondent, we refrain from doing so,” the Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Augustine George Masih ruled. Admonishing the state, the visibly displeased Bench asserted: “We must note with regret the complete non-application of mind on the part of the respondent authority in not appreciating the relevant legal provisions before issuance of notifications/circulars. “It has been a case of one blunder after another. The law laid down by the Full Bench of the Supreme Court was a number of years prior to these notifications. Thus, if due care had been taken to obtain appropriate legal advice, we cannot think that such a situation would have come to pass. “This has created not only a problem for the petitioners, but must have raised expectation from the fruitless exercise of the respondent thinking that such money would come their way, apart from complete wastage of judicial time”. The censure came on a petition filed by Rana Sugars Limited and other petitioners against the State of Punjab and other respondents. Selling or intending to sell electricity from their independent and captive power plants to customers outside the state of Punjab, the petitioners had told the Bench that the first endeavour to impose duty was made in January 2010. A notification was issued under the provisions of Section 3(1) of the Punjab Electricity (Duty) Act, 2005. It was followed by another notification in April 2010. A third notification was issued in May 2010 after the filing of the petition. Allowing the petition, the Bench added: “We are of the view that the imposition of duty for inter-state sale of electricity cannot be sustained as the state legislature has no power to impose such taxes.” Stating that the deposited amount must be refunded, the Bench gave the state a month’s time to return the money at 9 per cent simple interest from the date of deposit till refund, “failing which the interest of 15 per cent would operate.”
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Probe into murder of Pradhan's kin biased: HC
Chandigarh, September 13 The direction came during the resumed hearing of a petition filed by Amarjit Singh Sodhi of Patiala. He was seeking a CBI probe into the alleged murder of his daughter Parampreet Kaur, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances on February 23.— TNS
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Two persons accused of attacking senior IAS officer Kahan Singh Pannu at Gobindghat in Uttarakhand were arrested by the Uttarakhand Police here today. The two had come to attend a court in connection with the case.
Local MP Navjot Singh Sidhu came on a single platform with Punjab Industry Minister Anil Joshi and state BJP vice-president Rajinder Mohan Singh
Chhina, two party leaders with whom he doesn't share a good equation, here today. But, the differences between them again came to the fore as they didn't even greet each other.
The MP, who reached here this afternoon, arrived at the party office to celebrate the announcement of Narendra Modi as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate in the evening.
After Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s visit to the area, it was Congress Legislature Party leader Sunil Jakhar’s turn to meet the flood-affected villagers yesterday. While Badal accused the Congress-led UPA Government of ignoring Punjab in terms of funding, Jakhar retorted that the Centre had provided funds but the state had “failed to utilise these in the right manner”.
Wheels of populism