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Sidhu tops BJP list for Amritsar LS seat
tribune special
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Stir proves fatal for protesting teacher’s infant daughter
No religious body without Akal Takht nod
Walk for Justice on February 10
Power engineers hold rallies
Utensil scheme hits roadblock
DAV College teachers attacked
RMP’s death: Dera Sacha Sauda followers demand arrest of accused
Novelists urged to write more on Op Bluestar
Jail inmates planned attack: Probe
School board to up vigil in 59 exam centres
Credit tussle over Abohar rail bridge
33 in race for PESCO chief’s post
SUV used in shooting belongs to prof's son
Three-time MLA Jagdeesh Sahni rejoins BJP
LPU students showcase vehicles at Delhi Auto Expo
Ex-servicemen want CM to expedite work on Sainik Sadan
ASHA workers disrupt health function
2 Punjabi-origin men jailed in UK for attack on 80-year-old
Fazilka man arrested with
Rs 255 cr heroin
Man found murdered
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Sidhu tops BJP list for Amritsar LS seat
Chandigarh, February 6 A meeting of the BJP election committee was held here today. It was chaired by state unit chief Kamal Sharma. The BJP, which has an alliance with the SAD, will be fielding its candidates from three parliamentary constituencies — Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur. Sources said for the Hoshiarpur seat, the names of Chief Parliamentary Secretary Som Prakash and Vijay Sampla were considered. For the Gurdaspur seat, Vinod Khanna and Swarn Salaria were the frontrunners . The names will be sent to the party in charge, Punjab affairs, Shanta Kumar, who will send these to the party high command. Among those who attended the meeting today were Madan Mohan Mittal, Tikshan Sud, Rajinder Bhandari, Avinash Rai Khanna, Ashwani Sharma and Manoranjan Kalia. Amritsar: A day after an outburst by his wife and Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Health, the firebrand Navjot Sidhu today said he had already made his stand clear on his candidature from the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat. Talking to The Tribune, Sidhu said: “I cannot comment on what my wife stated in Chandigarh yesterday. It was her viewpoint. As far as I am concerned, I have time and again made my position amply clear.” He reiterated he could not think of contesting elections from any other seat except Amritsar. “This would mean betraying the trust of Amritsar residents who have elected me thrice in a row besides electing my wife to the assembly,” Sidhu said. He appeared apprehensive that he may not be re-fielded from Amritsar. Apparently referring to SAD and some BJP leaders with whom his ties have deteriorated over a period of time, he said: “I am aware that certain persons don’t want me to contest from Amritsar. It is okay if there are compulsions within the party and the alliance.” In the same breath he said he would not budge from his stand. “I will continue to fight for the interests of Amritsar. There is no going back,” he added. Frontrunners Amritsar: Navjot Singh Sidhu, Rajinder Mohan Chinna, former Health Minister Baldev Chawla Hoshiarpur: Chief Parliamentary Secretary Som Prakash, Vijay Sampla Gurdaspur: Vinod Khanna, Swarn Salaria ‘Not joining AAP’
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tribune special
Chandigarh, February 6 Wages to the guest faculty are paid from the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) fund set up in each college. During admission, the colleges collects Rs 1,000-Rs 2,500 from each student towards PTA fund. It is from this fund that salary is paid to the guest teachers. These teachers are employed for just seven months, from mid-July to mid-February and the fiscal burden (Rs 49 crore each academic session) is borne by the parents of students and not the government, said Jaipal Singh, president of the Government College Teachers Association. “Before the assembly poll, the state government had ordered that a sum of Rs 3,000 per month be paid to these teachers from the state treasury. The remaining sum (Rs 7,000) was to be paid from the PTA fund. But the entire salary is now being paid from the PTA fund,” said Harminder Singh, president of the Guest Faculty Teachers Union. “The state government is exploiting us. Most of us hold an M.Phil degree but are paid less than a skilled worker,” he said. The guest teachers were initially employed at a paltry Rs 5,000 per month. The salary was raised to Rs 7,000 in 2007 and Rs 10,000 in 2013, he said. Most government colleges are almost completely dependent on their guest faculty. In Government College, Malerkotla, there are 46 guest teachers, eight part-time and 15 regular teachers. In Government college, Sunam, there are 28 guest teachers, four regular and eight part-time teachers. Government Mohindra Colleges have 56 guest lecturers. “We have been staging dharnas and have stopped taking classes. We will not evaluate answer papers. We will continue to protest till we are given a basic pay of Rs 15,600 and a grade pay of Rs 6,000 per month from the state treasury,” Harminder Singh said. A senior official of the Higher Education Department said the process to get sanction for 1,925 posts of college teachers was on. The sanctioned strength earlier was 1,873. “The case will be placed before the state Cabinet for approval after which the process for recruitment of regular staff will begin,” he said. The state government has played havoc with teaching work in its colleges. There are four categories of teachers in these colleges — regular teachers, part-time teachers, guest teachers and those on contract. The most exploited are the guest teachers. Part-time teachers are paid Rs 39,000 per month. There has been no recruitment of regular teachers since 1996 when 200 teachers were recruited by the Punjab Public Services Commission. During 2007-08, as many as 50 English language teachers were recruited. Posts for other subjects were not filled. Against the sanctioned strength of 1,873 regular teachers, only 800 teachers are on regular appointment. The remaining are either guest teachers, part-time teachers or on contract. Who pays for the guest faculty
No regular staff in govt colleges
Four categories of teachers Against the sanctioned strength of 1,873 regular teachers, only 800 teachers are on regular appointment. The remaining are either guest teachers, part-time teachers or on contract.
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Stir proves fatal for protesting teacher’s infant daughter
Bathinda, February 6 The child, Gurnoor, died this morning at the local Civil Hospital where she was admitted for the past three days. Her mother Kirandeep Kaur had been taking Gurnoor and her elder sister to the dharna site as there was no one back home to look after them. Her husband Taranjit Singh, who has also been participating in the agitation, held the state government responsible for the incident. Dr Satish Jindal, who attended to the child, said: “Gurnoor was dependent on milk alone. Lack of solid food led to nutritional deficiency in her. She was suffering from nutritional tremor syndrome wherein due to weakness the child starts shivering.” He said since there were no warning signs, the immediate cause of the death could only be ascertained after an autopsy. Doctors said the possible cause of the death could be aspiration pneumonia wherein the mother mother’s milk might have entered into the child’s wind pipe. Since the girl was lethargic, she could not react and passed away, they said. Meanwhile, carrying the child's body, the protesters today took out a procession from Subhash Market on the Mall Road to the bus stand where they blocked the road for hours. They raised slogans against the government and demanded monetary compensation and a job to one of the family members of the victim. Traffic on the GT Road came to a standstill leading to a chaos on service roads. Father blames govt Victim’s father Taranjit Singh, who has also been participating in the agitation, said the state government’s apathetic attitude towards the protesting teachers was responsible for the incident What doctor says “Gurnoor was dependent on milk alone. Lack of solid food led to nutritional deficiency in her. She was suffering from nutritional tremor syndrome wherein due to weakness the child starts shivering. However, the immediate cause of her death could only be ascertained after an autopsy,” said Dr Satish Jindal
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Veil of secrecy at dera
Nurmahal, February 6 All the mediapersons present in the dera in the morning were pushed out. The argument given by the dera authorities for the move was that “the news reports have hurt the dera followers. Also, the media presence is affecting the daily routine here.” Despite the ban, The Tribune team managed to sneak into the dera at about 2 pm. A round of the entire dera revealed that the number of devotees and the activity there had reduced considerably. Security had been beefed up and dera sewadaars with proper identity cards were present at all entry points to stop reporters. The policemen posted at the dera told The Tribune, "Dera representatives shifted all the mediapersons out of dera today in front of our eyes.” On seeing that The Tribune lensman was getting ready to click photographs, the dera representatives told the team to go away. The dera authorities said that all the senior dera representatives were holding a meeting and the media would be briefed through e-mail. In the evening, a press release was issued by the dera maintaining that Ashutosh Maharaj was still in “samadhi”.
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No religious body without Akal Takht nod
Amritsar, February 6 Talking to mediapersons after the meeting, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said they were still receiving suggestions on the calendar issue and therefore, they did not deliberate on it. He neither gave a date on which the matter would be discussed nor did he spell out a deadline for sending suggestions to the Takht. These are being seen as clear indications that the matter has been put on the backburner for now. Earlier, the Sant Samaj had urged the Akal Takht to revert to the Bikrami calendar to clear the confusion caused by the Nanakshahi calendar. Various Sikh organisations had opposed the move and had advocated the need to implement the original Nanakshahi calendar. The Sikh clergy also didn’t discuss the Takht Patna Sahib controversy in which Takht Patna Sahib Jathedar Giani Iqbal Singh and its management committee are at loggerheads after a violent clash between the two sides there on January 7. The Akal Takht Jathedar said the matter was not discussed as neither of the two groups had approached the Akal Takht about it. He said the two sides have lodged police complaints in this regard. He said they have received the video footage of the Patna clash. The Sikh high priests have made the approval of the Akal Takht mandatory for forming any religious organisation. They felt that it would prevent the setting up of religious organisations by random groups of people and its running according to their whims. "Now, they will have to seek permission from the Akal Takht in writing. They will also have to mention their aim, constitution and name of members," they said. The Sikh clergy has also taken a serious note of the derogatory remarks being made against Sikhism on social networking sites. They have directed the SGPC and the DSGMC to form a panel that should initiate legal action against the persons indulging in such acts.
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Walk for Justice on February 10
New Delhi, February 6 Of the 587 riot cases registered, 241 had been closed by the Delhi Police, said DSGMC president Manjit Singh GK here today. In Delhi, the walk would begin at 6 pm from Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and end at the PM’s house. Manjit Singh said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should explain the kind of help sought by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi while planning Operation Bluestar. “The UPA government in 2005 tabled an action taken report (ATR) in Parliament and promised to speed up the trial of riot cases and rehabilitate families of riot victims. Not a single person has been indicted so far and the victims are still suffering,” he said.
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Power engineers hold rallies
Patiala, February 6 Leaders of the PSEB Engineers Association alleged that the state government’s move to “unilaterally” change a clause in the agreement signed during the bifurcation of the PSEB could have serious implications. This could mean a change in the salaries and service conditions of power engineers. The engineers warned not to raise the retiring age of the Chairman-cum Managing Director, PSPCL, from 62 to 65
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Utensil scheme hits roadblock
Patiala, February 6 Sources said in 2011 the government had bought a utensil kit for Rs 26,750. "Only two suppliers were shortlisted while six others were rejected for one reason or the other," alleged a failed applicant. He said the successful bidders had quoted a high price of utensils at Rs 38,000 per kit. Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra said the process had some flaws and the rates quoted by the two firms were found to be on the higher side. "We have cancelled the process. The government will ensure that these kits are bought at the lowest price as utensils worth Rs 50 crore are to be distributed among women groups", he said. It is learnt that with the elections round the corner, the government wants to speed up the project. The Rural Development and Panchayats Department has been asked to sort out the issue at the earliest. The scheme aims at wooing women groups in villages by distributing utensils carrying Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's picture. The sources said the department might ask its officials to buy the kits at the district level. The kits will have the word "Punjab Sarkar" (Punjab Government) engraved on each utensil so that these cannot be sold in the open market.
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DAV College teachers attacked
Jalandhar, February
6 The assailants were carrying hockey sticks, baseball bats and iron rods. Karanvir suffered multiple fractures and deep cuts in his
stomach. Amarpreet said they were attacked by eight students who came on bikes. “They hit our car, pulled Karanvir out and thrashed him,” he said. College teachers will go on strike tomorrow to seek action against the assailants, said sources. —
TNS
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RMP’s death: Dera Sacha Sauda followers demand arrest of accused
Malout (Muktsar), February 6 Mohan Lal Insan (32), who was also a dera follower, was allegedly killed by his neighbours and some other persons after an altercation over kite-flying. Terming that this was the third such attack on dera followers in a short span of time in Malout, the protesters blocked the national highway at Shah Stanam Singh ji Chowk and then proceeded towards the town. They raised anti-government, anti-police slogans and said Mohan’s body would be taken from the mortuary of the local Civil Hospital only after all the accused were arrested. The local Superintendent of Police and the SDM tried to pacify the protesters but in vain. A dera follower said they were planning to call followers from across the state to get justice from the deceased’s family. The dera followers alleged that the police were shielding the accused, who could be easily arrested on the day of killing. Dera followers alleged that earlier too, the accused had attacked them — once during the “Ru-Ba-Ru” night of Malout and the second time on a family living on the dera road in town. SP Malout, Balraj Singh said, “Four of the six accused, including the main accused have been arrested. The remaining two accused would also be arrested soon and talks are on with the dera followers to take the body from the hospital for cremation.” Those arrested include the main accused, Kala Singh; his brother Sheela, Bhajan Singh and Harnek Singh. Those still at large were Beant Singh and Manga Singh, he said.
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Novelists urged to write more on Op Bluestar
Patiala, February 6 Sandhu said there was a need for Punjabi-origin writers to write on Operation Bluestar and the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots. “We as Sikhs need to articulate our pain and write our own narratives,” he said. Sandhu’s latest English novel Roll of Honour recently got published. The inaugural session was presided over by Vice Chancellor Dr Jaspal Singh, who appreciated Sandhu’s observations. Scholars from the region presented a total of 34 papers at the event. Prof Rajesh Kumar Sharma, chairperson, the Department of English, was one of the sevearl speakers at the event. He said the literary community needed to pitch in more.
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Jail inmates planned attack: Probe
Patiala, February 6 As many as 14 persons, including the Assistant Jail Superintendent, were injured in the clash that took place almost a month ago. The report also says “medical reports have established that no inmate was tortured by the jail staff”. The inmates had alleged that they clashed with the jail staff because some inmates were tortured. The report has been submitted to Patiala Deputy Commissioner Gopal Krishan Singh. The seven inmates involved in the alleged attack have been booked in an attempt to murder case. The Tripuri police is conducting a separate probe into the incident. Sources said the probe report, a copy of which is with The Tribune, submitted by Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Gurpal Chahal states the inmates had planned the attack on Assistant Jail Superintendent Inderjit Singh Kahlon and other jail staff. It states that the inmates were perturbed after the officials had seized a mobile phone and a battery from their barracks. Moreover, the report gives a clean chit to the jail staff, who the inmates alleged had tortured them. It found the prisoner Harvinder Singh’s allegations as false. Harvinder, who has been shifted four times from various jails on disciplinary grounds, had alleged the jail officials had carved the word “criminal” on his back with an iron rod. Harvinder has already been convicted for life in a separate case. Chahal in the report says, “When I met Harvinder on the day of the incident, he did not mention any such act of torture. He even stood on his feet and spoke to me in detail. Medical reports proved that a chemical was used in the alleged act.” The report states the attack took place after Assistant Jail Superintendent Kahlon recovered a mobile phone from barrack number five. One of the officials said, “When we were returning from the barrack, some inmates led by Harvinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh attacked the jail officials.” Chahal confirmed the report had been submitted to the Patiala DC. “The DC will now recommend action as per the rules,” he said. The clash on January 6 had left at least eight inmates and six jail officials injured. The inmates had allegedly attacked the jail officials with iron rods used inside the jail gymnasium.
About the clash
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School board to up vigil in 59 exam centres
Mohali, February 6 The district topped the list with a total of 13 sensitive centres, followed by Tarn Taran district (12). PSEB chairperson Dr Tejinder Kaur Dhaliwal said 59 examination centres had been declared ‘sensitive’, where chances of candidates using unfair means were very high. Next on the list are Gurdaspur and Moga with seven such centres each while Fazilka, Ferozepur, Pathankot, Patiala, Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala each have two SECs. Ropar, Faridkot, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Sangrur each have one SEC. The SECs have been identified on the basis of last year’s report of each centre. Dr Dhaliwal said, “Our teams would keep a close vigil on these centres during examinations.” She said a total of 3,303 examination centres had been set up in the state for the upcoming class X and XII exams. Class XII and Class X exams would begin on March 1 and March 10 respectively.
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Credit tussle over Abohar rail bridge
Abohar, February 6 Jakhar laid the foundation stone this morning by breaking a coconut in the presence of his supporters even as the railway authorities postponed the official function, which was scheduled to be held today, allegedly at the behest of ruling SAD leaders. Even the foundation stone with Jakhar’s name was removed from the bridge site. Jakhar’s supporters raised slogans against
Ghubaya. Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) AK Kathpal last night informed Jakhar that Fazilka Deputy Commissioner (DC) Basant Garg had advised him to not hold the function. The DC reportedly wanted names of Ghubaya and Balluana MLA Gurtej Singh
Ghuriana, both of the SAD, to be inscribed on the foundation stone. Garg said he had spoken to the MP but he told him that he would not be available for the function on Thursday. The DC then told the DRM that the function to lay the foundation stone be postponed for a few days so that all the leaders could be present. Earlier, Abohar SDM Charandeep Singh inspected the railway complex to confirm that the stone carrying Jakhar’s name along with those of two railway officials had been fixed and preparations made for the function. The stone was removed by the railway authorities around
midnight. Jakhar, while addressing the gathering, lambasted MP Ghubaya and other leaders of the ruling alliance for sabotaging the function to make false claims over contribution in getting the light iron bridge and under-bridge projects sanctioned. Bone of contention
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33 in race for PESCO chief’s post
Chandigarh, February 6 Sources said the aspirants included five officers of the rank of Lieutenant General and 10 of the Major General. The post has traditionally been held by a retired Major General, barring a couple of instances. The selection committee is being headed by the Chief Secretary, Punjab. The appointment is expected to be finalised this month. To be eligible, the aspirant should have held the rank of Brigadier or equivalent, belong to the state of Punjab and be below 65 years of age. Set up by the state government, PESCO is involved in the welfare of ex-servicemen, their widows and dependents by providing them post-retirement employment and financial assistance, besides undertaking welfare schemes. —TNS
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SUV used in shooting belongs to prof's son
Ludhiana, February 6 Kulwinder (21) was killed and his accomplice Amrinder Singh alias Soni suffered a bullet injury in the incident. Sources said that the SUV belongs to Raman Kumar alias Mani, son of a professor of history at a college at Bondli village in Samrala Dr Harish Kumar. The police seized the vehicle from the professor's house at Atala village following the incident. SSP, Khanna, Sushil Kumar said that professor's son was on the run. The assailants left the vehicle at the professor's house after the shooting and fled in another vehicle. Despite repeated attempts, Dr Harish Kumar was not available for comment. Sources close to the professor's family said that he was quite perturbed at his son's involvement in illegal activities. Meanwhile, the police are finding it tough to arrest the accused persons as they are politically well-connected. "We are working under tremendous pressure. All the accused are already facing many criminal cases. They are familiar with police investigations. Not only are their mobile phones switched off but their families have also gone underground since the time of the incident," said a police officer. Amrinder Singh, who was injured in the shooting, refuses to part with his weapon even in hospital. He faces several criminal cases and fears an attack, said his friends at the hospital. Security has been beefed up outside the hospital. SSP Sushil Kumar said, "We are close to cracking the case and arresting the accused." Khanna Youth Akali Dal (rural) president Yadwinder Singh Yadu and Jatinder Singh alias GP, an Akali sarpanch of Kauri village, are among 10 persons booked for the shooting. SAD disowns Yadu Dr DS Cheema, SAD MLA, Ropar, said that Yadwinder Singh alias Yadu (in pic) was not holding any portfolio in the Youth Akali Dal from Khanna. "The party president has clearly stated that if any party worker is facing any case or has been booked, he will face the proceedings on his own. The party will not intervene in any manner."
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Three-time MLA Jagdeesh Sahni rejoins BJP
Batala, February 6 Arrangements are now being made for what would be a show of strength in the form of a rally at Batala in the next few days. State BJP president Kamal Sharma, in whose presence he joined the party today, and other senior leaders will also take part in the rally. Under the seat-sharing agreement between the SAD and the BJP, the Batala seat had been allocated to the SAD during the 2012 assembly elections. Earlier, since 1952, the seat was held by the BJP. The move, just before the general elections, is being seen as a “double-edged sword” by political analysts. On the one hand, there is a line of thought that Sahni’s presence will strengthen the party rank and file while on the other hand, observers claim that his presence will only add one more faction to the already divided BJP in the town. He resigned from the BJP before the 2012 elections, after the seat was given to the SAD, and joined the Congress in the presence of former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in Chandigarh. He was a claimant to the Congress ticket from the Batala seat but when the party did not yield to his intentions, he slipped into political hibernation. Past moves
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LPU students showcase vehicles at Delhi Auto Expo
Jalandhar, February 6 These vehicles included the “world’s first family solar car”, “world’s smallest car”, mobile-operated driverless car, multi-energy smart hybrid car, unique bikes, hybrid cryogen engine, “hexacopter” and all-terrain vehicles. The vehicles were made as part of the curriculum of the LPU. Speaking on the occasion, LPU Chancellor Ashok Mittal said it was a privilege to showcase talent of university students at Delhi Auto Expo. “Conceptualised on both inventive and practical factors, these vehicles will be commercialised later,” he said. He said the university was in talks with a leading global company for collaboration on these vehicles as well as future projects.
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Ex-servicemen want CM to expedite work on Sainik Sadan
Nawanshahr, February 6 EWA president Lt Col (retd) Jernail Singh said a memorandum would be submitted to the Chief Minister urging him to expedite the process of setting up Sainik Sadan at Nawanshahr to bring all the facilities related to ex-servicemen under one roof. — OC
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ASHA workers disrupt health function
Hoshiarpur, February 6 Earlier, during the function at the local Civil Hospital, a group of ASHA workers from Nawanshahr approached the minister. The minister said she had already held talks with leaders of the ASHA workers’ union at her home a few days ago, but they insisted on talking to her. The MoS stopped to listen to them. The ASHA workers reiterated their demand for regularisation of their service and regular salaries. Chowdhary told them that it was not possible to regularise their service as under the ASHA scheme, they were working as volunteers and activists to act as a facilitator. She said the Union Government had increased their annual cost norm from Rs 10,000 to Rs 16,000 and increased incentives. However, ASHA workers insisted that their demand be fulfilled and started raising slogans. They threw pamphlets distributed to them and overturned chairs at the pandal. They also gheraoed the hospital’s gate. Chowdhary had to slip from the other gate in her car. The ASHA workers chased her car till it went out of the gate, while raising slogans against her. Later, Chowdhary alleged that the function was sabotaged at the behest of the state government.
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2 Punjabi-origin men jailed in UK for attack on 80-year-old
London, February 6 Harbans Singh and Varinder Singh robbed the terrified pensioner in the English city of Leicester, knocking him to the ground and leaving him with injuries to his hands and face. Leicester Crown Court was told this week that both the men had admitted to charges of robbery. The court yesterday sentenced them to three years and eight months in jail. "I'm relieved to see they've been brought to court and punished. How could they attack an old pensioner like they did? “I think justice has been done and I hope they have learnt their lesson,” the victim told the local ‘Leicester
Mercury’newspaper. The men targeted the victim inside Ladbrokes bookmakers in December, 2013. After he left, they followed him and approached him at the junction of nearby Brandon Street, asking for a cigarette. The men then pushed the victim over and grabbed his wallet, containing 40 pounds, his pension card, rent book and credit card. His hands and face were badly bruised and he suffered pain in his shoulder. The court was told the men were drug addicts, and had spent the money on heroin. Prosecutor Jonathan Dunne told the court that the victim did not have any cigarettes and continued walking. Sentencing, Recorder Simon Ward said: "You got in such a state with your need for heroin that you robbed a vulnerable 80-year-old man at night. “You thought he was an easy target. You're lucky he wasn't more seriously harmed.” The defendants were caught a few days after the robbery when a police community support officer recognised the pair on a city street, having seen CCTV footage of the attack.
—PTI
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Fazilka man arrested with
Rs 255 cr heroin
Tarn Taran, February 6 The seizure was made from the Harike Pattan area near here today. The accused is a resident of Jalalabad (Fazilka). Harmesh's accomplice managed to give the slip to DRI sleuths who had laid a naka near the Harike bridge in the wee hours today. A DRI official said they had information that the two were on their way to Tarn Taran to deliver a consignment of heroin. The DRI team from Chandigarh laid a naka near the Harike bridge and intercepted the two men who were on a motorcycle. “On seeing the DRI team, Harmesh's accomplice, who was on the pillion, jumped off and escaped. Harmesh was overpowered and two bags containing the contraband were seized from him,” said the official. Sources in the Intelligence Department said they had information that Harmesh had been in the illegal trade for long. But this was the first time that he had been arrested.
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Man found murdered
Patiala, February 6 The victim has been identified as Rajinder Singh, a resident of
Sanaur, and his body was found from Dana Mandi in Sanaur.
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Amritsar, February 6
Malout (Muktsar), February 6
Abohar, February 6
Jalandhar, February 6
Amritsar: Chief Parliamentary Secretary Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who had lauded the AAP Government in New Delhi at a press conference in Chandigarh on Wednesday,has said nothing much should be read into her statement. Talking to The Tribune, she said: "I had said that AAP is doing a good job and we should let them prove themselves." She said there was no truth in reports about her or her husband joining AAP. Dr Sidhu had threatened to quit the BJP if her husband Navjot Sidhu continued to be sidelined. She had also threatened to move court if the Punjab Government did not re-impose sin tax in 15 days. Sin tax is a higher level of VAT on tobacco products. Last month, the Punjab Government had approved its withdrawal.
