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2 more out on parole, Khalsa ends fast Lakhwinder Singh (left) and Shamsher Singh at Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Mohali on Friday. Tribune photo: Parvesh Chauhan
Sikhs asked to fight female foeticide
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Govt’s ‘wrong’ policies drive PRTC into red
Acid attack victim dead
Congress names all 27 DCC chiefs
2013 Review:
Law & order
Thousands attend Ahmadiya meet
Ward delimitation in Moga MC begins
List of govt holidays released
Three women hurt in cylinder blast
The house that collapsed after an LPG cylinder exploded at a slum area in Abohar on Friday. Tribune Photograph
Dismissed BSF jawan among 3 held with heroin
Malaysian police to probe kidnapping of 5 Punjabis
Women’s panel gets 10,180 complaints in a decade
Khatkar Kalan’s revamp on cards
Labour Dept to look into pay anomalies Govt spying on politicians, journalists, says Tewari
Singer Gill in further remand
College girl abducted in Tarn Taran
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2 more out on parole, Khalsa ends fast
Amritsar, December 27 Earlier Giani Gurbachan Singh held a closed-door meeting with Khalsa and members of the Sikh Bandi Rihai Morcha Committee. Khalsa loses 15 kg
Khalsa said it was a battle only half won since only four of the six detainees had been released. “Even as four detainees have been released on parole, the process of securing the release of two others is underway. “It is now the responsibility of the Akal Takht Jathedar to ensure they are freed too. I have ended my fast after being assured by him on this matter.” Lakhwinder Singh, Shamsher Singh and Gurmeet Singh, convicted in the Beant Singh assassination case, have been freed on parole. They were lodged in the Burail jail, Chandigarh. While Gurmeet Singh procured a 28-day parole, Lakhwinder Singh and Shamsher Singh were released today. Lal Singh, who has spent 20 years in jail, was released on parole from the Nabha prison last week. Waryam Singh and Gurdeep Singh have been languishing in jails in UP and Karnataka. Khalsa and his supporters will leave for Gurdwara Amb Sahib, Mohali, tomorrow.
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Lakhwinder all praise for Beant’s family
Chandigarh, December 27 “I am thankful to the Centre, the state government and particularly Beant Singh’s family which has shown large-heartedness and forgiven us,” he said. The detainees also thanked Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa and the Sikh Sangat for standing up for them. “This is the first time that parole has been granted to both the convicts. Earlier, all applications by their kin in this regard were rejected,” said counsel AS Chahal. Lakhwinder Singh and Shamsher Singh paid obeisance at Gurdwara Amb Sahib, Mohali, upon their release. Shamsher Singh’s wife Baljinder Kaur, his daughter Sarabjit Kaur, sister Charnajit Kaur and brother Bhagwant Singh had come to receive him. Lakhwinder Singh’s sister Sukhwinder Kaur and his brother-in-law Jung Singh had came to take him home. Meanwhile, organisers of Sikh Bandi Rehai Lehar announced a Sikh convention at Gurdwara Amb Sahib at 2 pm tomorrow.
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Sikhs asked to fight female foeticide
Fatehgarh Sahib, December 27
Lakhs of devotees accompanied the Nagar Kirtan that was led by the Panj Piare. The Nihangs displayed their martial skills on the occasion. In his message to the Sikh community, Akal Takht chief Giani Gurbachan Singh called upon the Sikhs to follow the path shown by the Ten Gurus. He advised organisers to serve simple langar and shun fancy dishes. He asked the Sikhs to wage a war against drug abuse prevalent in the state and female foeticide. Avtar Singh Makkar, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president, suggested renaming Shaheedi Jor Mela to Shaheedi Sabha.
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Govt’s ‘wrong’ policies drive PRTC into red
Patiala, December 27 Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal, PRTC Workers Union general secretary, says the corporation is running in heavy losses due to “wrong” policies of the state government. For the losses, Dhaliwal blames the changes made in the state transport policy in 1990, 1997 and 2011 to “facilitate private transporters”. “When the SAD came to power in 1997, it made several amendments in the transport policy. It decided to run integral coaches from all major cities of Punjab to Chandigarh. But, the plan had to be shelved after the UT Administration declined permission. “When the Akalis again came to power, they took approval for 73 permits from the then Governor Gen SF Rodrigues (retd). While initially the ratio of PRTC-private buses was 40:60, it slowly changed to 60:40. Secondly, there were some profit routes where only PRTC buses plied but private transporters started making inroads into these too,” says Dhaliwal. While PRTC employees — as well as pensioners — are now and then seen protesting against the delay in clearance of their dues, they have stopped working beyond eight hours since December 11. For, they are no longer paid any overtime for putting in extra hours. As a result, PRTC’s daily revenue has slipped further. Ideally, the PRTC should be earning Rs 90 lakh revenue daily to meet its monthly expenses. But, it only earns Rs 70 lakh a day, though the figures are a bit higher on Monday and Friday. The management claims it is yet to clear salary-related payments worth Rs 55 crore; this is apart from Rs 50 crore that it owes as contribution towards employees’ provident fund. This is over and above the Rs 148.5 crore due as retirement benefits and pay commission arrears. The PRTC’s cumulative losses are worth around Rs 150 crore. It also has pending bank loans totalling around Rs 200 crore, say sources. PRTC managing director Bhupinder Singh puts the onus of financial constraints on pension liability, which is around Rs 4.8 crore a month. He says they are also facing shortage of drivers as employees are currently working only for eight hours, a factor that is increasing the losses. “The maintenance cost has also shot up as prices of spares have risen manifold. Still, we are trying to solve these issues,” he said.
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Acid attack victim dead
Ludhiana, December 27 The Sarabha Nagar police station has now booked the assailants under Section 302 of the IPC (for murder). They were earlier booked for attempt to murder. Investigation Officer Harbhajan Singh has reached Mumbai to make arrangements to airlift the body to Barnala. Harpal Singh, Station House Officer, Sarabha Nagar, said the death had been caused by infection in the internal organs. The victim was admitted to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital and then airlifted to Mumbai on December 12. The police arrested the suspects, including the estranged wife of the groom's brother, within 48 hours of the crime. During questioning, the main accused, Amitpal Kaur alias Dimpy alias Pari, confessed to have plotted the attack as she wanted to “seek revenge”. Pari, divorced some years ago, was a resident of Patiala.
Tragic end
* * * Those responsible for the heinous crime be tried in a fast-track court and awarded exemplary punishment. — Manish Tewari, union Minister
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Congress names all 27 DCC chiefs
New Delhi, December 27 Among the new presidents is Rajib Bhagat who replaces Jugal Kishore Sharma as Amritsar city chief and Gurkit Aujla, son of senior leader Harpartap Ajnala who has been made Amritsar rural head. Other newcomers are Anil Vij in Pathankot, Dharampal Bangar in Nawashahr, Jagbir Singh Brar in Jalandhar rural and Rajinder Berry in Jalandhar urban. Among the DCC chiefs named today are: SS Arora (Hoshiaprpur), NS Cheema (Kapurthala), BS Sidhu (Mohali), Mai Roop Kaur (Sangrur), JS Panjgrahian (Faridkot), LS Lakha (Fatehgarh Sahib), PS Maan (Barnala), Bikram Mofar (Mansa), ML Agarwal and GS Tungwali in Bathinda urban and rural; SS Bhullar (Tarn Taran), GS Khudian (Muktsar), DS Brar (Moga), Koshal Kumar (Fazilka), HS Saini (Ropar) and Chamkaur Singh (Ferozepur).
Punjab Cong office-bearers
Vice-presidents: Brahm Mohindra, TS Soond, Kewal Dhillon, OP Soni, GS Kangar, CS Channi, SS Dharamsot, SS Gilzian, SPS Sibia, SS Bandala, Randeep Singh Nabha, Rana Gurmeet Sodhi, CD Kambhoj, Razia Sultana. General secretaries:
Jagmohan Kang, Jeet Moohinder Sidhu, Aruna Choudhary, SK Dawar, Harminder Jassi, Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Mehtab Singh, Karan Kaur Brar, Parminder Pinky, BB Ashu, Fateh Jang Bajwa, Harpartap Singh Ajnala, Joginder Mann, Amarinder Raja Warring, Vikram Singh, Ramesh Singla, JS Gill, Tejinder Bittu, Kushaldeep Dhillon, Joginder Chinna, Lakhwinder Kaur Garcha, Harminder Gill, Sukhjinder Majithia, Yoginder Dhingra, Pawan Adia, Major Singh Bhaini, Rajanbir Singh, Rampal Dhapai, Satnam Singh Kainth, Hansraj Joshan, Gurkirat Kotli, Dr Bhatti, Madan Mohan, Kuldeep Rana, RK Chabbewal. Permanent invitees:
Ambika Soni, Amarinder Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Preneet Kaur, Manish Tewari, Santosh Choudhary, Mohinder KP, SS Libra, Vijayinder Singla, Ravneet Bittu, Ashwani Kumar, MS Gill, RL Bhatia, HS Hanspal, SS Dullo, Iqbal Singh, Lal Singh, MM Cheema, Ashwani Sekhri, KL Sharma, Kuljeet Nagra, AS Samra, Dharampal Sabarwal, CS Channi, Surinder Singla, Jagjit Singh, Santokh Singh, Sunil Jakhar, Darshan Jeeda, Jagmeet Brar, Kamal Choudhary, Avtar Henry, Pritam Bhullar.
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2013 Review:
Law & order
Last year, a policeman had died on an Amritsar road while trying to save his daughter from eve-teasing. Then the attack on AIG SS Mand in a Ludhiana pub too had made it to headlines in the media. The police took several initiatives. It launched a pro-active approach in maintaining law and order, introduced a 24-hour helpline 181, recruited more women in its force and took the battle against drugs to an international scale. Political pressure
The khaki was sullied in 2012 as it came as a force losing its sheen to political pressure not just by state-level masters but also by small-time leaders and cronies. But, the effort to restore the morale of the police was affected in March this year when some policemen were caught on camera slapping a woman in Tarn Taran while she was seeking action in a case. Then, reports that forensic samples of various cases were fudged shook the police. By the end of the year, acid attack on a girl hours before her wedding and series of incidents of breaking of ATMs kept the policemen on their toes. Source of humiliation
Political patronage to criminals remained a major pain for the police. Mann village in Muktsar became a symbol of alleged police harassment of Congress workers, forcing many of them to flee the place during panchayat elections. A People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) leader was shot at while his aide was shot dead during an election rally in May. The arrest of the accused much later in October from Jagha Ram Tirath village in Bathinda district came as more of an embarrassment for the government as the accused were hiding in the house of an Akali leader. Number of cases down
The data available till October this year reveals 3,32,728 cases were registered across the state against 3,39,122 cases lodged in the comparative period last year. There was a decline in cases against persons with 48,821 registered this year against 52,375 cases last year. Cases involving property disputes also showed a decline with 83,461 FIRs against 88,150 last year. At the same time, lesser number of persons were convicted of various crimes this year. While 53,439 were convicted last year, 49,642 were punished this year. Till October this year, 5,256 murders took place, out of which 332 were untraced and 1,154 were under investigation. As many as 5,979 attempt to murder cases were lodged, out of which 371 were untraced and 1,076 were under investigation. 2,269 rape cases lodged
As many as 2,269 rapes took place in the first 10 months, of which 555 were found false and later cancelled. As many as 165 gang-rapes were registered out of which 36 were cancelled while 29 were under investigation. ADGP (Law and Order) Dinkar Gupta said, “We faired much better in 2013. We busted international gangs of drug peddlers, took pro-active approach to policing and the icing on the cake was the launch of the ‘181’
helpline.”
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Thousands attend Ahmadiya meet
Qadian (Gurdaspur), December 27 Keeping in view the significance of the convention, the Railways decided to run a special train from Amritsar to Qadian twice a day for the next ten days. Delegates of the Ahmadiya Muslim Community (AMC) have come from all across the globe such as the USA, Canada, UK, France, Sweden, Netherlands and Belgium. One such delegate came all the way from little known Wake Island, located in the North Pacific Ocean. He said since access to the island was restricted, it took him three days to reach Qadian. The island is controlled by the US Air Force that operates a missile facility there. “It is the love for my Muslim brethren that draws me here,” he said. Braving the cold, the maximum number (4,567) of foreign delegates has come from Pakistan and more are expected to visit in the next two days. The Ahmadiya Movement is a religious one and was founded by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian in the nineteenth century. The leaders of the movement say it stresses on peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance. Sheikh Mujahid Ahmad Shastri, press secretary, said, “This hundred-year-old movement is spread across 202 countries and the community works for the unity of mankind. We always engage ourselves in humanitarian activities whenever natural calamities occur.” The speakers at the convention highlighted the positive aspects of other faiths as well. They spoke about the teachings of Krishna and Jesus Christ. Tanvir Ahmad, president of the press committee, claimed, “We have our own TV channel called Muslim Television Ahmadiya (MTA) that has established 516 centres around the world. Moreover, we have printing presses in 11 countries that have played a crucial role in the dissemination of literature on the Ahmadiya Movement.” However, since the Qadian Municipal Committee has reportedly failed to pay its power bills, the community had to make its own arrangements to keep the streetlights working. Grand event
The movement
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Ward delimitation in Moga MC begins
Moga, December 27 A senior official of the department said physical verification for the delimitation had been completed and soon people’s objections would be invited to notify the wards. The official said the number of wards would increase up to 50 from the existing 31. The government has included Landeke, Sant Nagar, Duneke, Mehmewala and Mehla Singh villages, besides some parts of Bughipura, Kothe Patti Mohabbat and Talwandi Bagherian villages in the city limits. The government has not fixed any cut-off date for the completion of the entire process of delimitation, but it is expected that it would take at least three months to issue the notification in this regard, after which, a request would be forwarded to the state Election Commission for holding the local body polls. The extension of boundaries of the erstwhile Municipal Council has been pending for more than eight years after the process was first initiated in 2004 when a resolution in this regard was passed by the-then president of the civic body, Joginder Pal Jain, who is now legislator of the Moga assembly constituency. A survey was undertaken in 2006, but stopped later after objections were raised. Later, Jain resigned from the post after being elected to the state assembly. His wife, Swaran Lata Jain, who was then made president of the civic body, sent a fresh proposal of the draft resolution in 2008 after addressing all objections. On October 17, 2011, the Punjab and Haryana High Court stayed the government’s decision of forming the corporation following a petition filed by councillor Surinder Singh and others. The petitioners, however, withdrew their petition on March 17, 2012. Later on April 4, 2012, another councillor Parshotam Puri filed a petition in the High Court, demanding stay on the formation of corporation. He claimed that the government did not fulfill the mandatory requirements to upgrade the status of the civic body. On April 20, 2012, the court again stayed the conversion of the civic body, but on May 16, 2012, dismissed the petition, again paving the way for the formation of the corporation. Akali leader Jathedar Tota Singh and his son, former president of the local body Barjinder Singh Brar, welcomed the government’s decision to increase the boundaries of the civic body. They claimed that they had made efforts to upgrade the local body.
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Fissures in Cong over Jat reservation
Chandigarh, December 27 Capt Amarinder Singh, who is the president of the All-India Jat Mahasabha, had written to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, seeking reservation for Sikh Jats in Punjab and other states. Prominent leaders, including Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa, former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, former PPCC president Shamsher Singh Dhullo and former minister Lal Singh, have opposed the proposal. Talking to The Tribune, former PPCC chief Dullo, said: “We are not against reservation. Poor Brahmins and Khatris should also be brought under the quota system. Only the landless or marginal farmers should be given reservation benefits." Jats are spread across 13 state as Amarinder Singh has been arguing that since Jats in nine states have been given reservation, there is no justification in the same being denied to Jats in the other four states. Amarinder Singh says since Hindu Jats have been given reservation, Sikh and Muslim Jats should not be deprived of the benefit. Bhattal said that reservation should not be caste but need-based. To this, Amarinder Singh remarked: “If Bajwa and Bhattal can convince the PM to introduce reservation on an economic basis, I will support them too. "But as long as it is granted on the basis of caste, there is no reason why people in Punjab should be denied the same."
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List of govt holidays released
Chandigarh, December 27 Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh (Jan 7); Republic Day (Jan 26); Basant Panchmi, (Feb 4) ; birthday of Guru Ravi Dass (Feb 14); Shivratri (Feb 27); Holi (March 17); Martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh (March 23); Ram Navami (April 8); Mahanvir Jayanti (April 13); Baisakhi (April 14); birthday of Dr BR Ambedkar (April 14), Good Friday (April 18); May Day (May 1); Parshuram Jayanti (May 2); Martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev (June 1); Kabir Jayanti (June 13); Id-ul- Fitr (July 29); Martyrdom Day of Udham Singh (July 31) ; Independence Day (August 15); Janmashtmi (August 18); Parkash Utsav Guru Granth Sahib (Sept 1); birthday of Baba Sri Chand (Sept 4); Agarsain Jayanti (Sept 25); birthday of Bhagat Singh (Sept 28); birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, (Oct 2); Dasehra (October 3); Id-ul-Zuha (Oct 6); birthday of Valmiki (Oct 8); birthday of Guru Ram Dass (Oct 9), Divali (Oct 23); Vishawkarma Day (Oct 24); birthday of Guru Nanak Dev (Nov 6) ; Martyrdom Day of Guru Teg Bahadur, (Nov 24) and Christmas, (Dec 25).
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Three women hurt in cylinder blast
Abohar, December 27 Basti resident Kewal Kumar’s sister Chetna was preparing meals when the cylinder caught fire. She rushed out of the house crying. Her brother sitting outside the house along with his mother and another sister informed the fire brigade, but no fire tender arrived. They tried to douse the flames but, in the meantime, the cylinder exploded, causing collapse of the house. Veena and her daughter Indu, who were on the roof of a neighbouring house, sustained burns as fire spread. Another woman Kamlesh, who was passing through the street, was injured because of the collapse of the boundary wall. The victims were admitted to Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital. Officials, including Fazilka Superintendent of Police Balbir Singh (SP), Abohar SP Kuldeep Singh Chahal and Balluana Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Veer Chand visited the locality today. They said more than 10 houses had developed cracks because of the explosion. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar has urged Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to provide grant to Kumar’s family, which belongs to the BPL category, for rebuilding the house and to ensure free treatment to the victims in a government hospital.
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Dismissed BSF jawan among 3 held with heroin
Amritsar, December 27 The heroin is estimated to be around Rs 10 crore in the international market Among those arrested are Gurvail Singh and Ranjit Singh, both residents of Naushehra Dhalla, and Jora Singh of Mahindipur village in Tarn Taran. Ashwani Kumar, AIG (Counter-intelligence), said Ranjit Singh was dismissed from the BSF for gold smuggling. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment in 1994. “He was again jailed in a murder case and was released only four months ago,” he said. Kumar said after his release, Ranjit renewed his links with Pakistan-based smugglers and started dealing in heroin and fake currency. A case under relevant sections of the NDPS Act and IPC has been registered.
2 held with poppy husk
Muktsar: The police claimed to have caught two narcotic smugglers and seized a quintal of poppy husk from their car near Malout. Sub-Inspector Ashok Kumar said Jaswinder Singh of Inakhera village and Chand Singh of Lundewala village were caught smuggling four bags of the contraband.
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Malaysian police to probe kidnapping of 5 Punjabis
Kuala Lumpur, December 27 The victims from Punjab were allegedly kidnapped last month and were kept in Selangor province on the west coast of Malaysia. They were released after five days after paying a ransom, the Star newspaper reported today. Selangor deputy police chief Rahim Jaafar said police would look into the alleged kidnapping of the victims from Gurdaspur and Jalandhar. "We will also check the allegations that two Pakistanis were leading the gang. However, there has been no police report lodged in Selangor," he said yesterday. Rahim asked the victims to come forward and provide police with information on the matter. "If the allegations are true, then we will take necessary action." The case came to light after an Indian daily reported that five people were abducted by a gang of Punjabi youths in Malaysia.
— PTI
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Women’s panel gets 10,180 complaints in a decade
Muktsar, December 27 An RTI query revealed that maximum 2,328 complaints received during this period were about domestic disputes and 2,270 about dowry. In the last 12 years, the commission had received 205 rape complaints while 372 complaints about sexual harassment. Moreover, 12 complaints have
been forwarded by the National Commission for Women to the state. This year the number of complaints about domestic disputes is more
than double that of dowry complaints. In a period of six months, between April 1 and September 30 this year, 314 complaints about domestic disputes and 153 dowry complaints have been received. The commission has also received at least 12 complaints about rape and 58 about sexual harassment.
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Khatkar Kalan’s revamp on cards
Nawanshahr, December 27 “The village will be developed into a tourist spot having a patriotic touch so that the legacy of the national hero can be a source of inspiration for the future generation,” she said during a visit to Khatkar Kalan today. The DC took stock of the ongoing construction work of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Museum. Besides, she visited the martyr’s ancestral house and a park adjoining the house. “The issue of allocating funds for the proper upkeep of the house and the park will be taken up with Department of Cultural Affairs, Museums, Archives and Archaeology and Department of Rural Development and Panchayats,” the DC said.
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Singer Gill in further remand
Ludhiana, December 27 Gill and three more persons were arrested on the complaint of a city- based model who alleged that the singer had raped her in a hotel at Chandigarh and threatened to make her pictures public. The police has so far not found the videos and pictures of the victim. Gurbir Singh, Station House Officer, PAU, said:
“ We are investigating the matter. The victim told us that she was never shown the videos and photographs by the singer. We are interrogating the accused to recover the pictures.” Gill was arrested on December 24 and sent to a two-day remand. Charanjit Singh alias Channi and Jagdeep Singh Sohi were nabbed on December 25. One of the accused has absconded.
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As news of the release of Lakhwinder Singh and Shamsher Singh from the Burail Model Jail, Chandigarh, poured in, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh offered juice to protesting Sikh activist Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa at the Golden Temple complex this evening. The latter ended his fast after 44 days.
The Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) may have been claiming that it was doing good enough to sustain itself, but its increasing financial liabilities speak otherwise.
Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal, PRTC Workers Union general secretary, says the corporation is running in heavy losses due to “wrong” policies of the state government.
For the losses, Dhaliwal blames the changes made in the state transport policy in 1990, 1997 and 2011 to “facilitate private transporters”.
“When the SAD came to power in 1997, it made several amendments in the transport policy. It decided to run integral coaches from all major cities of Punjab to Chandigarh.
Ludhiana, December 27
Three women were injured when an LPG cylinder exploded in a house at Idgah Basti here last night.
The blast that led to the collapse of the building was caused probably due to leakage. The victims have been identified as
Veena, Indu and Kamlesh. Basti resident Kewal Kumar’s sister Chetna was preparing meals when the cylinder caught fire. She rushed out of the house crying. Her brother sitting outside the house along with his mother and another sister informed the fire brigade, but no fire tender arrived.
The owners of luxury coaches earlier had to pay a tax of Rs 7 per km, but the government reduced it to Re 1 and that too with 120 days of tax holiday in a year. On the other hand, PRTC buses have to pay a tax of Rs 2.75 for ordinary buses and Rs 1.5 per km for air-conditioned buses. The PRTC has a fleet of 1,075 buses, which includes 660 ordinary buses and 75 air-conditioned buses. It also has some ultra-luxury buses while some vehicles are being run under various central schemes. 
Bathinda, December 27
