The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Ludhiana youth ends life in city hotel PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 21 Mystery shrouds the death of a Ludhiana resident, whose body was found hanging in a room of a hotel located in the Katra Ahluwalia area in the walled city, which is just a stone's throw from the Golden Temple here. The deceased, identified as Jaswinder Singh, alias Jassi (24), a resident of Kot Mangal Singh, Ludhiana, had checked in the guest house around a couple of days ago and since then the doors of his room were bolted from inside. The police suspects that he had apparently committed suicide on the same day he arrived in the guest house. However, the police found no suicide note from the place. Surprisingly, the guest house owner did not inquire about him till today morning even as Jaswinder had not come out of the room since he checked in. As per the information, Jaswinder along with his mother had come to Amritsar on October 17 as her sister had delivered a child. On the very next day, he went missing and today his body was found hanging in a room of Agarwal Guest House, located in Dharek Street in Katra Ahluwalia. “Since October 18 we have been searching for him in every hospital, police station and even footpaths, but failed to locate him. The very next day we went to Ludhiana to look for him but could not find him,” said Gursewak Singh, a relative of the deceased. Another relative Prabhjot Singh said in Ludhiana when they were looking for him, the family came to know that he had been kidnapped by several persons in a car just a day before he came to Amritsar, ie October 16. A passerby informed the Police Control Room, which immediately swung into action, rescued him and arrested a person having criminal background. Surprisingly, Jaswinder refused to lodge any police complaint. It came to light that he had some monetary dispute with the accused, who had kidnapped and thrashed him, said the relatives. A well-built youth, Jaswinder, used to work with a prominent private bank in Ludhiana, they added. Surinder Mohan, SHO, Kotwali police station, said the hotel owner informed the police when he found blood coming out of the room. He said unbearable smell was emanating from the room, which pointed out that he had committed suicide about a couple of days ago. “At present proceedings under the Criminal Procedure Code has been initiated and the body will be sent for postmortem after completing the formalities after family members of the deceased arrive,” he said, while adding that further action would be taken after receiving the postmortem report.
	City man booked for stalking Bathinda DC’s stenographer Gurdeep Singh Mann Tribune News Service Bathinda, October 21 An Amritsar resident deployed as a helper in the office of the District Attorney (DA), Amritsar, has been booked under various sections of the IPC, including the recently amended section 326B. Section 326B is imposed when someone throws or attempts to throw acid on any person or administers acid, with the intention of causing permanent or partial damage or deformity or burns or grievous hurt. An accused for this offence may undergo a minimum of five to seven years of imprisonment with fine. The accused Jaspal Singh is a resident of Ghanpur Chheharta in Amritsar. He has also been booked under sections 354-D of the IPC (for chasing and trying to foster personal interaction repeatedly, despite a clear indication of disinterest and disturbing mental peace and 506 of IPC (criminal intimidation). Police said Jaspal threatened the stenographer with throwing acid on her face and then committing suicide in her office or residence if she married someone else. The woman, however, declared complete disinterest in him and married a boy from Bathinda a few months ago. Investigating Officer Kaur Singh from the Civil Lines police station said the steno was earlier deputed in the office of the DA, Amritsar, and after her marriage, shifted to Bathinda. He said the helper had been harassing the woman even in Amritsar. The stenographer had informed the DA and other senior court officials and the man was let off with a warning. After her marriage, the woman thought she had got rid of him but to her surprise, the helper made repeated rounds of Bathinda and accosted her while she was returning to her residence in the government quarters adjoining the District Administrative Complex. Upset over this, the woman brought the matter to the notice of the Senior Superintendent of police (SSP) Bathinda who ordered the registration of a case. The accused, however, is yet to be arrested by the police. A case under Sections 354-D, 326-B and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the accused, Jaspal Singh, at the Civil Lines police station. Fact file The accused Jaspal Singh is a resident of Ghanpur Chheharta in Amritsar. Police said Jaspal threatened the stenographer with throwing acid on her face and then committing suicide in her office or residence if she married someone else. The steno was earlier in the office of the District Attorney, Amritsar, and after her marriage, shifted to Bathinda.
	MC introduces software to calculate property tax GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 21 Even as the Municipal Corporation (MC) is conducting property tax awareness drive to sensitise residents about paying their property tax, there is still confusion among the residents about the tax format. The Municipal Corporation has prepared a software to calculate the property tax as per the existing collector rates. The property tax of any area is now available at a click of a button. The residents were locking horns with the MC earlier over the property tax rates in their respective areas. The authorities conveyed a loud and clear message that the self-assessment of taxes has to be calculated on the current collectorate rate instead of the rate prevailing at the time of the purchase of property. The MC authorities also warned the residents that there would be scrutiny of taxes submitted by the residents and those found to be depositing lesser amount would have to pay hefty penalty later. Confirming this, Superintendent of House Tax Shushant Bhatia said there had been a lot of discrepancies and confusion among the residents about the tax calculations. "It is to be noted that the self-assessment of the tax has to be worked out as per the prevailing collectorate rate. Even as we are still accepting whatever the calculations have been done by the residents, but those who miscalculate it would have to face penalty after the scrutiny. Therefore, I appeal to the residents that they should know the self-assessment methodology," he said. "We have devised a computerised formula wherein the collectorate rate of any area has been fed. If we punch in the location of the land and the covered area, the property tax applicable on that particular property would be displayed instantly," he explained. The MC is going to introduce this format to the residents in its upcoming property tax awareness drives, starting from Wednesday onwards from Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi's constituency.
	Properties of five house tax defaulters sealed Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 21 The House Tax Department of the Municipal Corporation today relaunched its campaign against the tax defaulters and sealed five properties. Among the defaulters was an Assistant Sub-Inspector, who later issued a cheque for Rs 12,000 to pay his dues. With the property tax coming into effect from April 1, 2013, the house tax realisation exercise had taken a back seat, but for a short while. The house tax staff, too, was engaged in collecting the property tax and conducing awareness camps in residential areas. Today, reviving its "name and shame campaign" against the house tax defaulters, the house tax team collected an amount of Rs 2 lakh from defaulters located on the Majitha road and Ajnala road. The Superintendent, House Tax, MC, and in charge of the Property Sealing Wing, Shushant Bhatia, said the defaulters, including those whose cheques were dishonoured in the past, would face the music if they still did not pay their taxes. The MC has yet to collect around Rs 15 crore from the defaulters. This target has been set to be achieved by December. In the first phase, the MC identified around 147 properties owing around Rs 42 lakh. There are around 5,000 defaulters, which included both residential as well as commercial. Also there are around 75 defaulters who earlier evaded the action by issuing cheques but these were dishonoured later. Today, the team targeted at least 10 properties, out of which five were sealed. Bhatia said the Mata Chanan Kaur Institute of Paramedical Science located in Guru Gobind Singh Nagar on the Majitha road faced sealing as the management owed Rs 16, 390 as house tax. Similarly, City Heart Property Dealer, near the Majitha Road bypass, which could not clear its house tax dues amounting to Rs 16,648, was sealed. The team went to seal Gill Properties and Baba Gill Laboratory, but let them off on humanitarian grounds. “When we went to seal their properties, we came to know from the neighbourhood that the proprietor suffered heavy loss in business and sometime ago his house was also robbed. He owed Rs 27,000, but was given a grace period of four days to clear the dues. Similarly, an ASI-rank police officer who owned four shops in Guru Ram Dass Avenue, located on the Majitha road, was to pay an amount of Rs 12,000. He issued the cheque and was let off,” he said.
	MC staff resent non-payment of salaries Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 21 A section of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation employees today held a protest against the civic body authorities for their failure to disburse their salaries and dues. Apparently dejected by the false promises by the MC officials, the protesters raised slogans and staged protest which lasted till afternoon. A few days ago, following a constant protest by the employees, the MC authorities had started the process of disbursing their dues but stalled the process midway, it has been learnt. Major Singh, general secretary, Amritsar Nagar Nigam Workers Union, said the agitating employees belonged to Class IV, III and also included XEN-level officers of horticulture operation and maintenance wing and heads of several departments. Besides, they demanded their pending arrears against the Sixth Pay Commission, uniform allowance, dearness allowance (DA) arrears, conveyance allowance etc. “Barring a few employess, the Municipal Corporation authorities did not pay salaries for the past one month. We have suspended our state-wide protest after the assurance given by the authorities that all salaries and dues would be paid by October 13 but in vain. Our agitation will continue till we get our dues,” the the general secretary, Amritsar Nagar Nigam Workers Union, said.
	Woman injured in snatching incident Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 21 An elderly woman sustained serious injuries when she fell from an auto-rickshaw after two motorcycle-borne youths snatched her purse. The incident occurred near Rajinder Nagar area here late last evening. Balpreet Kaur, daughter of the victim and a resident of Guru Nanak Niwas, Kot Khalsa, said she along with her mother was going to Jandiala in an auto-rickshaw when the two unidentified youths came from behind and snatched the purse. She said her mother was sitting on the corner of the rear seat of the auto-rickshaw. As the miscreants snatched her purse, she lost her balance and fell on the road. The miscreants took away her purse containing Rs 1,000, two mobile phones and important documents. The Maqboolpura police has registered a case under Sections 382, 325 and 34 of the IPC.
	Man accuses wife, paramour of theft Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 21 The Chheharta police today booked a woman and her paramour for alleged theft on the complaint lodged by her husband. Gurwinder Singh, a resident of Guru Amar Dass Avenue, Chheharta told the police that he was married to Diljit Kaur, a resident of Ramuwal, Gharinda in 2003. He said since their marriage he did not have cordial relations with his wife who had illicit relations with Harjinder Singh of Gumanpura in Chheharta. He said on August 30 he along with his parents had gone to a relative’s marriage. When they returned home they found the locks of the house broken. He further alleged that the accused took away all the household goods, including TV, refrigerator, furniture items, electric fans, almirahs, utensils, gold jewellery worth lakhs and Rs 50,000 cash from the house. The police has booked Diljit Kaur and Harjinder Singh under Section 380 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). No arrest has been made so far in this connection, the police said.
	Fake travel agents continue to fleece gullible youth Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 21 With the craze among the local youth for foreign shores in search of greener pastures and making a fast buck on the rise, many here are falling victims to unscrupulous travel agents and immigration firms. The situation is such that the youth are ready to go to any length and breadth to settle abroad. But sadly enough, they end up losing the hard-earned money of their parents. The recent incident in which a couple was duped of Rs 15 lakh by a father-son duo for getting the former Australian citizenship is a perfect example of this. The Islamabad police has registered a case against the accused, identified as Vinod Ludhara and his son Karan Ludhara, both residents of Nawa Kot area, yesterday. No arrest has been made so far, the police said. Teja Singh, a resident of Galab Kala village of Ludhiana in his complaint to the police alleged that the accused took his daughter Manpreet Kaur and her husband Gurwinder singh into confidence and promised them citizenship for Australia. He said the deal was settled at Austrian $22000 (Rs 22 lakh). “As per asked by Karan Ludhara, my daughter gave him Rs 15 lakh but the accused neither provided them the citizenship nor returned the money,” Teja Singh said in his complaint. A case has been registered under Section 420, 406, 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). In another incident, the Cantonment police has arrested Ashwani Kumar of Aman Avenue at Ajnala Road for allegedly defrauding Sunil Kumar and Bunty of Kirpal Colony, Tung Bala located on Majitha Road of Rs 4.50 lakh for sending them to New Zealand. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Gurpreet Singh, currently having the charge of Islamabad police SHO, said the police department has been very strict in such cases. He said raids were being conducted to nab the accused. Incidents A couple was duped of Rs 15 lakh by a father-son duo for getting them Australian citizenship. The Islamabad police has registered a case against the accused, identified as Vinod Ludhara and his son Karan Ludhara of Nawa Kot area The Cantonment police arrested Ashwani Kumar of Aman Avenue for allegedly defrauding Sunil Kumar and Bunty of Kirpal Colony, Tung Bala located on Majitha Road of Rs 4.50 lakh for sending them to New Zealand
	Police nabs four for illegal sand mining near Bohru village Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 21 The Chatiwind police nabbed four persons for illegally excavating of sand after a tip-off near Bohru village recently. The information was provided by a guard of the Forest Department. Among those arrested are Amarjit Singh, Manjinder Singh, Resham Singh and Jaimal Singh, all residents of Thathgarh village falling under Jhabal police station in Tarn Taran district. Lakhbir Singh, a guard with the Forest Department posted at Ibban, Amritsar-II, told the police that several persons were involved in illegal quarrying of sand from a subsidiary of the UBDC Canal near Bohru village here. Following this, the Chatiwind police laid a naka near the Bohru Canal bridge and nabbed the accused who were bringing sand on “gharooka”. The police also confiscated the sand and booked them for theft (of sand) and illegal excavation under Section 21 (1) of Mining and Mineral Act, 1957. Further investigations in the case are in progress, police officials said. Satnam Singh, the investigating officer in the case, said similar incidents have come the fore earlier as well. The investigating officer said whenever the police department received a complaint action was initiated against them. But majority of times they managed to escape from the spot. The sand mafia is eyeing canals these days as the the government has been acting tough over media reports in the recent past.
	Tributes paid to martyrs on Police Commemoration Day Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 21 On the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, the city police today paid tributes to the policemen who laid down their lives in the line of duty here. The policemen held a parade at the Police Lines during which they reversed their arms and observed a two-minute silence in order to pay homage to the martyrs. Senior police officials, including Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh, Deputy Commissioner of Police Kaustubh Sharma, ADCPs, ACPs and others laid wreath to pay their respects to the departed souls. The Police Commissioner felicitated the families of the martyrs and listened to their grievances. Dilbagh Singh, attached with the Chief Minister’s security, told the Police Commissioner that his father-in-law Balwinder Singh, a resident of Kukkarwala village, was killed by terrorists during the militancy period. He said several persons in the village illegally occupied his 25-acre agricultural land while his mother-in-law was running from pillar to post seeking justice. The officials assured him of all possible help in order to solve their problem and hold investigation in this connection. Speaking on the occasion, Aulakh said the police department was committed to resolve the problems being faced by the families of the martyrs who had made supreme sacrifices.
	Traffic police fails to check plying of heavy vehicles on elevated road Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 21 The traffic police has miserably failed to check the plying of heavy vehicles on the elevated road, which not only is a nuisance to commuters but also causes accidents. In one such incident, a two-wheeler rider lost his life last night after he hit a stationary truck. Mohit Khanna, a resident of Jattan Wali Gali in Katra Dullo area, in the police complaint lodged at the B-Division police station, said he and his brother were returning home on separate two-wheelers last night. He further said a truck (HP-23 5505) was parked on the elevated road. The effective road width on the elevated road is limited and as the truck was not visible from behind since the driver had not kept any indicator on, he said. The victim rammed his Activa scooter into the truck and sustained fatal head injuries and collapsed. Naresh Johar, a senior citizen, said the accident was avoidable had the driver and the police taken some precautionary steps. Johar said negligence on the part of the officials concerned snuffed out a precious life. The victim was the breadwinner of the family and was father of three children. Tall claims of the authorities regarding managing the traffic on GT Road after completing the elevated road have fallen flat. Plying of heavy vehicles on the elevated road is prohibited from morning till evening. The Amritsar Tribune in its columns had recently raised the issue of parking of tourist buses for longer hours on the roads which results in traffic congestion besides posing risk to the commuters. Caring two hoots for the convenience of the residents, these buses are parked on open spaces. The buses can be spotted on the busy Queen’s Road, an area where many hotels and residential areas are located. Same is the case with Shivala Road which has several residential localities on either side. NS Gabarhi, a local resident, said population and traffic have increased manifold in the area over the years. He said buses remain parked throughout the day. He wondered as when the authorities would awaken from their slumber. Assistant Commissioner Police (ACP) Traffic Navjot Singh said, “We would strictly implement the no plying of vehicles within the city. The parking of buses on these roads would be keenly watched to avoid recurrence of such incident.”
	Students present field show on five elements Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 21 The students of Senior Study School today presented a field show based on the five elements of life — earth, air, water, fire and space on their campus. In the age group of six to 10 years, the students mesmerised the audience with their performance. They performed with agility and discipline using the props that had been created by their teachers. The students showcased the five elements through dances and activities like yoga, gymnastics and karate. They also emphasised on the importance of each element for the sustenance of life. Principal Kanchan Mehra appreciated the diligent effort put in by the staff and the students to make the show a success.
	Khalsa College girls win cross-country race Amritsar, October 21 Khalsa College for Women emerged champion in cross-country event in the Inter-College Tournament held at Guru Nanank Dev University. The team defeated HMV, Jalandhar, in the final and achieved the first position in the tourney with 12 points. College Principal Dr Sukhbir Kaur Mahal congratulated the team members including Sharanjeet Kaur, Rajdeep Kaur, Inderjit Kaur, Gurjit Kaur, Lakhvinder Kaur and Jagbir Kaur, felicitating them at Principal’s office today. She also praised the contributions of College sports incharge Sukhdeep Kaur, Coach Rankirat Singh, Gurpreet Singh for the achievement and motivated the team to achieve greater success in future. — TNS