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NEIGHBOURHOOD

rajindra hospital
Contractual nurses block traffic for over 7 hours
Gagan K Teja
Tribune News Service

Patiala, October 24
The health services at Government Rajindra Hospital here received a major setback as hundreds of protesting contractual staff nurses seeking regularisation of their services locked the gates of the hospital and did not allow nursing students, who were doing most of the work of the hospital in their absence, to enter the hospital.

Following this, doctors and the regular staff remained on their toes the entire day and themselves took care of all patients in the emergency as well as wards.

The nurses blocked the Patiala-Sangrur highway for over seven hours, causing inconvenience to commuters following which the traffic had to be diverted through nearby villages. Senior officials of the district administration, security personnel in a large number, including women cops, were deployed to avoid any untoward incident.

Speaking to The Tribune, president of the Contractual Staff Nurses and Paramedical Staff Karamjeet Kaur Aulakh said they would continue their agitation till their services were regularised.

“We have been silently fighting for our rights since the past many years but to no avail,” she alleged.

Gurpal Singh Chahal, SDM, Patiala, said they were in talks with the nurses and senior functionaries of the Medical Education and Research Department to find a concrete solution to the problem and hopefully things would be sorted out soon.

Principal Secretary of the Medical Education and Research Department said it was ethically incorrect to play with the lives of patients.

“These nurses were appointed on sanctioned contractual posts only and there was never any condition of their regularisation. Still, sympathetically considering their case, we asked them to prepare a seniority list so that we could take their case to the Cabinet so that instead of making new selections for the vacant regular posts, first preference should be given to these contractual staff. They should represent their issues in a proper way rather than affecting the functioning of the hospital,” she added.

Man arrested with 500 gm of smack
Our Correspondent

Ambala, October 24
The Parao police of the Ambala cantonment has recovered 500 gm of smack from a resident of Uttar Pradesh late this evening.

The cost of the recovered smack is estimated at around Rs 2.5 crore on international market. The accused had been identified as Shashi Kumar, a resident of Barabanki, UP.

As per information, the SHO, Parao police station, Randir Singh, had got a tip-off that man was carrying huge quantity of smack that would be handed over to some smuggler near the Bandhunagar bridge.

The police reached the place and nabbed the accused. It recovered 500 gm of smack from him. Commissioner of Police, Ambala, Rajbir Deswal has launched a campaign against drug smugglers for the past several months in the district.

Protest against shelling on Indian border outposts
Our Correspondent

Ambala, October 24
The Anti-Terrorist Front of India burnt the Pakistan’s flag to protest against the heavy shelling on 52 Indian border outposts by the Pakistani Rangers in Ambala City today.

The members of the front also raised slogans against Pakistan.

While addressing the gathering, president of the front Viresh Shandillya said the Indian Government should take a serious note of the issue.

He said one of the BSF personnel was killed and eight others injured in the incident.

Shandillya said India should lodge a strong protest with the President of Pakistan and should suspend the bus services between the two countries.

He said the members of the front would launch a protest in Delhi if the Central Government fails to take action in this regard.

‘Rural haat’ building inaugurated near Ropar

Ropar, October 24
Former minister Satwant Kaur Sandhu and Ropar Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Amarjeet Singh Shahi inaugurated a ‘rural haat’ building at Chaklan village near here today. The move will help in selling goods prepared by farmers, women and self-help groups in the nearby villages.

It would provide a permanent modern market to people in rural areas and through it both buyers and sellers would be benefited, Sandhu said.

The Additional Deputy Commissioner said the ‘rural haat’ at Chaklan was set up at a cost of Rs 13 lakh. While one such haat had already set up in Purkhali village, another will be built at Abiana village of the Nurpur Bedi block. — TNS

Robbery bid foiled; 2 held

Ambala, October 24
The Baldev Nagar police has nabbed two youths who were planning to commit a robbery in the area. The police recovered a country made pistol and an iron rod from them.

According to information, a police team was patrolling in the area when they signalled the accused, Ashok and Deepak, to stop following suspicion. The police searched their belongings and seized the country made pistol from them. It arrested both accused. — OC

COURTS

High Court raps PU for wrongly imposing fine on DAV College
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 24
Rapping Panjab University on its knuckles for its failure to take “remedial steps” despite a clear-cut verdict, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed costs of Rs 50,000.

The amount is to be deposited by the university to the Mediation and Conciliation Centre of theHigh Court within two months.

Taking up a petition filed by the DAV College Managing Committee against the university, Justice Mahesh Grover set aside the impugned order dated November 4, 2009, by which the university had imposed a penalty of Rs 50, 000 per month for the period the college was without principal from August 30, 2007, to July 13, 2008.

The petitioner contended that the university had no authority to impose penalty in financial terms. The counsel for the petitioner, RD Anand, further contended that the reason for not having a principal during the period was also satisfactorily explained.

The incumbent, Bhupinder Singh, was recommended by the Selection Committee. Approval regarding his appointment was considered by the college managing committee but not granted by majority of members. The decision was communicated to all, including Panjab University. The university, on the other hand, tried to justify the imposition of penalty through submissions in the HC but it did not file a reply.

Justice Grover said, “It has been brought to the notice of this court that a similar controversy arising in a number of writ petitions has since been answered by us and it has been held that the university had no authority to impose penalty with financial consequences.”

“Finding that the matter is no longer entirely new and despite the clear-cut verdict of this court, the university took no remedial measures to rectify the order,” Justice Grover said.

The case

The university in its order in 2009 had imposed a fine of Rs 50, 000 per month on DAV College for the period it was without a principal

The college contended that the reason for not having principal during the period was satisfactorily explained and hence the university had no authority to impose penalty in financial terms

Cheating in exam
Two turn approver
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 24
In a significant development, two accused in case of cheating and criminal conspiracy in the examinations for some posts of ASI in the Central police forces turned approvers in the CBI court. The CBI today moved an application in the court informing about the development.

The two candidates, who turned approver, are Saurabh Kant and Rajpal.

On April 23 last year, the CBI had booked a former regional director of the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Haryana, Naveen Sehgal, and others for allegedly committing forgery, cheating and other irregularities during the exams for posts of sub-inspector-level officer in the Central police organisations.

The exam was held in Ambala district in September, 2011, and nine candidates were selected from one room of the examination centre. There were 24 candidates in one room and the nine successful candidates were sitting in the same row.

Priest’s murder
Key accused gets 10-yr jail
Three others will spend five years in prison
Akash Ghai
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, October 24
In the priest murder case at Morni, the local court pronounced 10-year jail term to one accused and five-year sentence to the other three accused here today.

The key accused, Bikram (23), has been sent to jail for 10 years along with a fine of Rs 5,000 while Ajay (23), Ganesh (25) and Parmod (31) would spend five years in jail, as per the order by the court of the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Amit Kumar Sharma.

The accused were held guilty on Wednesday and the quantum of sentence was announced this evening.

All the four accused had thrashed 60-year-old Duni Chand, the priest of a temple at Morni, when he had raised objections over consuming liquor by the accused near the temple.

The incident had occurred on September 16 last year. The victim had objected the entry of the accused in the temple, following which the foursome thrashed him badly with sharp-edged weapons.

Duni Chand succumbed to his injuries at General Hospital, Sector 6, here, later.

Victim’s counsel YD Sharma said all accused have been sentenced under culpable homicide and not amounting to death.

Earlier, Section 302, IPC, was slapped against the accused but later it was replaced with Section 304 (II), IPC.

Monica’s death case
CFSL report submitted in court
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 24
The UT police today placed the CFSL report before the court during the resumed hearing of the murder case of a computer teacher of a prominent school in the city. She was found hanging at her residence in Sector 18 in October last year. The report had confirmed that Monica was murdered and it was not a suicide, as alleged by her in-laws.

The report states that the blood stains found on the clothes, mattress and bed sheet was of group “A” and belonged to deceased Monica Goyal.

The CFSL report has been prepared by Dr Sanjeev, Assistant Director and CFSL expert from General Forensic Institute in Bhopal. The CFSL officials have been summoned to depose in the case as prosecution witness.

The police had sent certain clothes and blood stained undergarments and the bed sheet recovered from Monica’s house to the CFSL to gather evidence in the case.

The case has now been adjourned for next hearing on October 28.

Monica Goyal, a 35-year-old computer teacher with New Public School, Sector 18, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in October, 2012.

The police had filed a charge sheet under the sections of murder, abetment to suicide, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence against Monica’s husband Vikas Goyal, father-in-law GP Goyal, mother-in-law Prem Lata Goyal and brother-in-law Vishal Goyal in the court. All of them are in judicial custody at present.

It was after a gap of 22 days after the incident on November 8 last year that the police had slapped charges of murder against all the accused. Initially, the police had booked all of them in a case of abetment to suicide.

After the incident, a team of the CFSL had reconstructed the death scene with the help of a dummy. The forensic team established that Monica Goyal was first beaten brutally the night before her death and then her body was hung to the ceiling fan.

Monica is survived by eight-year-old son Krish.

CRIME

Drunk man enters restricted 3BRD area

Chandigarh, October 24
A youth, who was in an inebriated state, accelerated his his Bolero SUV into the restricted area at the prohibited 3BRD area late last night. The man has been identified as Gursharan. He was later booked for rash driving and challaned under the Motor Vehicle Act.

Gursharan, who was accompanied by his four-year-old niece, is staying with his relatives in Sector 44. The police said he was so drunk that he was not even able to speak properly. Gursharan was near the Hallomajra roundabout when he took a wrong turn. His medical examination of Gursharan confirmed liquor in his body.

Man held for betting during India-Oz tie
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 24
The crime branch of the UT Police arrested a bookie, identified as Mintoo Mathwan, a resident of Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26, who was alluring gullible people to bet during the India Australia one-day match played at Ranchi yesterday.

The accused was luring his customers by sending SMSes as well as by calling them at public place to double their money which they would put on stake in connection with the betting being held by him with regards to the match.

Inspector Ranjodh Singh, in charge, crime branch, said it came to their knowledge that the accused would not refund the money to the winning customers.

“A team of the crime branch sent a decoy customer with a note of Rs 1,000. The team apprehended accused Mintoo Mathwan when he accepted the money from the decoy customer, and in-turn, he handed-over a slip to him by putting his signatures thereon,” said Inspector Ranjodh.

The police has registered a case under Section 420 of the IPC, 13-A/3/67, Gambling Act, against the accused.

The police recovered four mobile phones, Rs 10,500 and a notebook, in which he was maintaining the betting record.The accused was produced before a court that remanded him in two days’ police custody.

SPORTS

PU win baseball meet
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 24
The hosts Panjab University have won the All-India Inter-university Baseball (Men's) Championship for the session 2013-14. The finals were played between Panjab University and Delhi University on the PU campus today. The PU team defeated the Delhi team 3-1.

Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, and Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, secured the third and fourth position, respectively. Professor Navdeep Goel, Dean, Students Welfare, Panjab University, gave away the prizes to the winners.

The following are the results:

Panjab University, Chd, beat Delhi University 3-1; MD University, Rohtak, played a draw against Lovely Professional University, Phagwara.