Bathinda, February 22
To save a few bucks from his wife, a 35-year-old truck driver raised a false robbery alarm and claimed to have lost Rs 56,000 to unidentified assailants late last night. But the police saw through the lie and booked him under various sections of the IPC for raising a false alarm.

The incident occurred at around quarter to 11 when the police control room received a call from Gurinder Singh, a resident of Ajit Road. The caller, after identifying himself, revealed that some looters in a car took away the cash at gunpoint from him near Bibiwala Chowk.

The owner of a Tata-407 truck, Gurinder, claimed that the occupants of a car were chasing his vehicle after he crossed the railway tracks near Lehra Mohabbat Thermal Power Plant situated on the Bathinda-Barnala road.

The mini-truck was loaded with batteries and the driver claimed to be returning from the Rampura Phul side.

The entire police force of the district was put on high alert after the phone call and the cops reached the site of the crime immediately.

“Robbery at gunpoint is a serious crime and as I prepared myself to reach the spot, I got another phone call from the SHO saying it was a false alarm and heaved a sigh of relief,” said DSP (Detective) Ranjeet Singh.

Cantonment SHO Jaskaran Singh said he immediately rushed to the spot after receiving a text message from Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Bhullar and a wireless message from the control room.

“Since the incident had just occurred and there was little traffic on the road due to the intermittent rain, we were confident of nabbing the culprits by blocking all the entry and exit points and sounded an alert in the entire district. We took the matter seriously and were about to alert the police in the neighbouring districts when the driver got upset and failed to answer certain queries. He fumbled for words and refused eye contact when asked to explain how exactly the incident took place,” Jaskaran said.

He initially gave the registration number of the car in which the robbers were travelling but later gave another registration number and then claimed to have seen two different registration numbers of the car. When pressed further, the driver admitted to having raised a false alarm to avoid handing over the money to his wife. The driver revealed that his wife had sought money to clear household bills and for her clothing and other necessities.

“To avoid giving the money to his wife, the driver raised a false alarm to save a few bucks. The driver later revealed that he was a drug addict and his wife kept a record of every penny spent and it used to become difficult for him to save money to buy drugs,” the SHO said.

A case under sections 193, 211 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the complainant for raising a false alarm and wasting the ‘precious’ time of the Bathinda police.

fact file The truck driver claimed to have lost Rs 56,000 to unidentified assailants on Friday night. The police control room received a call from Gurinder Singh, a resident of Ajit Road. The caller, after identifying himself, revealed that some miscreants travelling in a car took away cash from him at gunpoint near Bibiwala Chowk. The owner of a Tata-407 truck, Gurinder, claimed that the occupants of the car were chasing his vehicle after he crossed the railway tracks near Lehra Mohabbat Thermal Power Plant situated on the Bathinda-Barnala road. The mini-truck was loaded with batteries and the driver claimed to be returning from Rampura Phul side. Initially, the driver gave the registration number of the car in which the robbers were travelling but later gave another registration number and then claimed to have seen two different registration numbers of the car. Later, he admitted to having raised a false alarm to avoid handing over the money to his wife.

Bathinda, February 22
Manpreet Kaur, a student of Government Rajindra College, who was critically injured on the campus after some construction material fell on her head, gained consciousness and may undergo brain surgery on Sunday. According to the team of doctors treating her at the Max Hospital, Bathinda, she is responding to the treatment and has also started speaking, though not very coherently.

“We thought that her condition may stabilise by Monday. We could have operated upon her only after that. But since her condition improved by Saturday, she may undergo surgery on Sunday itself. Apart from multiple fractures and the lacerated skin on her skull bone, there are no related injuries and that is working in her favour,” said Dr Manoj Manjhi.

The doctors also said that post surgery, Manpreet may be able to lead a normal life within a month and will also be able to appear for her examinations.

Expenses a worry

While the doctors told Bathinda Tribune that the cost of treatment and the stay will cost the family Rs 1-Rs 1.5 lakh, there were rumours at the college that it may cost the family around Rs 7 lakh. Manpreet’s father, Nirmaljit Singh, a tailor by profession, said bearing the expenses for the treatment was a big worry for the family.

“Manpreet’s cousin, Jaswinder Kaur, who was employed at the college as a guest faculty lecturer, said the college authorities are trying to arrange for money. If we fail to collect the money, we may have to shift her to a smaller medical centre. The college authorities, the contractor and the students are discussing how the money will be collected,” Singh said.

The students of the college have already put up a notice at the entrance of the college requesting people to make monetary contribution and help the family get the best medical care for Manpreet.

Passing the buck

Meanwhile, the college authorities and the contractor have started passing the buck. Nirmaljeet Singh said, “I visited the place where Manpreet was hurt and noticed that there was no rope or notice put up at the construction site keeping the area out of bounds for the students.”

The principal of the college, Vijay Kumar Goyal, reiterated that the college had put up a notice asking the students to stay away from the areas where construction was going on.

Gagan Badal, head of the students’ union in the college, accused the college authorities of not being serious towards the safety of the students. “When the walls of the corridors were being plastered, students used to pass below the wooden structures put up by the workers. An accident was waiting to happen,” he said.

Contractor Raghunath Goyal, who met the college authorities today to figure out a way to extend financial help to the girl, said, “It was unfortunate that a heavy wooden pillar hit her on the head but we are not at fault. We have requested the family to seek a second medical opinion and shift her to some other hospital where the cost of treatment will not be too high. We are ready to contribute to the fund.”

Bathinda, February 22
A police constable deployed with the PCR and six others, including four women, have been booked by the police in a rape and kidnapping case. In her complaint to the police, a widow residing in Barnala complained that she was kidnapped and kept for around two and half months by the accused.

DSP (Detective) Ranjeet Singh said the woman complained that she was taken to Abohar in Punjab and Haryana by the main accused, Satinder and Amandeep Kaur, where Satinder raped her. She alleged that the other persons, including constable Vijay Kumar, helped the accused in this regard.

The DSP said the case was registered after initial investigations and the accused would give an explanation.

The DSP pointed out that the main accused Satinder is the driver of a private car and lives in Guru Ki Nagri. The main accused and the others had been residing on rent in a house. The widow said she had come to stay with her aunt in the rented accommodation from where she was forcefully taken to different places by the accused. The woman revealed that her husband, a labourer, died after she was kidnapped by the miscreants.

A case under sections 365, 342, 376 and 120-B of the IPC has been registered in this connection against Satinder, Malkit Kaur, Harbhajan Singh, Pooja, head constable Vijay Kumar, Amandeep Kaurn and Gati. — TNS

Bathinda, February 22
Voters can now get the details of their polling booth, its geographic location and maps on Google Earth. The State Election Commission has uploaded voters' lists, phone numbers of the returning officers and booth level officers (BLOs) besides other details.

It is for the first time that Punjab's voters have been provided with this facility and it would help them trace a polling booth sitting at home. Earlier too, lists were available on the portal of the State Chief Election Commissioner but it was not available on Google Earth.

Users can select their respective district, constituency and polling stations from drop down lists to see the locations of the selected area. Using the satellite image, polling stations and roads leading to them can also be seen.

Bathinda district has 1,029 polling booths. The staff at the district election office said it was for the first time that the voters' lists and the polling booths were being made available on Google earth coordinates making it easier for the voters to locate their respective booths.

While the information has been uploaded, it has put the BLOs in a tight spot. One such BLO revealed, "People, especially the semi-literate, manage to navigate the election website to the level where our phone numbers are mentioned and refuse to go further where the entire voters' lists are available. They call us asking if their names figure in the list."

Another from an engineering college added that voters call at odd times seeking information about updating their data or to get their votes transferred. He added that the election office last paid him Rs 3,000 two years ago for working as a BLO.

Bathinda, February 22
General secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee and former Bathinda MLA Harmander Singh Jassi today derided the Bathinda Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal for indulging in votebank politics during her Sangat Darshan programmes.

Pointing out that the government had no funds to release the salaries of its employees, arrears of the retired employees, teachers and old-age pensioners and run various schemes but has money to buy 131 luxury cars for its ministers, Jassi accused the government of being ignorant of the needs of its people.

Taking a dig at the extravagant nature of the plan, Jassi suggested that the government should have first thought of buying new vehicles for the police department of the state since those would have been used to ensure safety of the public and not of corrupt officers.

Terming the distribution of tubewell connections to the farmers in Bathinda district a “political stunt”, he said while the Bathinda MP was claiming that the government cared about the farmers, the same government was ordering lathicharge on farmers in Amritsar.

He added that the Badal family’s name could soon be added to the Guinness Book of World Records for laying more than 25 foundation stones of new public facilities and upgrade of schools of the district in mere 12 hours. He said the Badal family would be remembered for laying foundation stones and never looking back to check if the work was ever completed.

President of the Bathinda District Congress Committee (Rural) Gura Singh Tungwali also pointed out that the Bathinda MP’s gesture of distributing tubewell connections to farmers just before the Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha elections is to be imposed proved that the party was indulging in some last minute action to save its face.

He added that these tubewell connections will pull the farmers deeper into misery as getting the connection installed will cost the farmers a lot and they will be burdened under debts. He also accused the government of not properly utilising the funds which were released to the state under centre-sponsored schemes.

Bathinda, February 22
A drunken Gram Sewak returning to Bathinda from Talwandi Sabo after attending MP Harsimrat Kaur's Sangat Darshan programme entered into a scuffle with commuters and policemen on Friday evening.

The police said the Gram Sewak consumed liquor after distributing cheques to the villagers at the Sangat Darshan programme of the MP in Talwandi Sabo.

Kotfatta SHO, SI Amarjeet Singh said the accused Nachhattar Singh was returning in a Maruti Alto car which collided head on with another car on the Bathinda-Talwandi Sabo road.

The complainant-cum-investigating officer, SHO Amarjeet Singh said the car owner in which the drunken Gram Sewak's car collided, slipped away after he threatened him with dire consequences.

But before leaving, the other car occupants informed about the incident at the police control room and also apprised the police of a rashly driven Maruti Alto car.

An ASI and two constables reached the spot and tried to note down the particulars of the Alto driver who had still parked his car in a haphazard manner and posing serious threat to other commuters passing through.

Instead of replying to police queries, the Gram Sewak entered into heated arguments and abused the policemen and shouted at them by boasting of his links with the senior SAD leaders.

The policemen tried to overpower the accused but the cops came under volley of abuses and lost their badges, star and their uniforms too were torn off in the melee.

The accused was then taken to the police station where he was put behind the lockup.

A case under Sections 353, 186, 283 and 506 of the IPC has been registered against the Gram Sewak.

Bathinda, February 22
In the series of programmes being organised to celebrate the 5th foundation day of Central University of Punjab, it organised a on-the-spot painting, poster making and photography competition for school, college and university students at its Bathinda campus today. The chief guest of the programme was Janmeja Singh Johal, renowned photographer.

The aim of the competition was to boost the morale of students as well as to create awareness in the student community regarding evils in the society like food wastage, female foeticide.

A total of 244 students from 12 schools and 17 colleges and university students participated in the competition including 30 students of Mahant Gurbanta Das Deaf and Dumb School, Bathinda, and students from the financially backward families.

The participants made paintings on topics 'Save Planet Save Food’ and ‘Save the Girl Child', 'Protect Women - Safer India, Better India’ and ‘World Peace’. The participants also exhibited artistic impressions of CUP city campus, buildings, gardens, open spaces, life and daily activities in the university.

While addressing the participants, Vice-Chancellor Jai Rup Singh said the university made special efforts to reach out to each group of participants and wished them good luck and praised their efforts.

The results of the competition will be declared on Monday and prize distribution ceremony will be held on February 25.

During the competition, Prof P Ramarao, dean academic affairs, Prof RG Saini, registrar Col (retd) Jagdev Kartar Singh, faculty members, research scholars and others were also present.

The programme was organised by Prof Subash Parihar, Dr Amandeep Singh, Dr Sandeep Kaur and Dr Jai Parkash.

Bathinda, February 22
The members of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today took out a 'jhadu yatra' in the city.

Holding brooms, the election symbol of the AAP and donning the khadi caps, the party workers passed through the city lanes.

Starting from Urang cinema, the party workers took out procession on Amrik Singh Road, Mall Road, Bus Stand, Mehna Chowk, Court Road, Kikkar Bazar, Sadar Bazar, Railway Road, Dhobi Bazar and Hospital Road, the yatra culminated at Urang cinema.

The workers claimed the flow of traffic was not disrupted during their yatra.

Bathinda, February 22
Around 1,75,162 children in the age group of 0 to 5 years, will be administered polio vaccine during the second round of the pulse polio campaign to be held from February 23 to 25.

District Immunisation Officer Dr Rakesh Goyal said 698 booths would be put up, 40 transit teams and 33 mobile teams have been formed and another 1266 teams have been formed to administer polio drops from door-to-door.

All these teams would cover 2,49,126 households in the district.

With an increase in the use of vehicles, noise pollution has hit the residential areas of the city hard. School vans use pressure horns in residential areas causing embarrassment to the students, the elderly and the sick as well as those offering prayers in the morning. They use pressure horns much beyond the permissible limits. Further, the drivers keep the horns pressed till the child comes out of his house. Some of the school buses even use pressure horns in residential areas with utter disregard to pollution norms. Some of the school vans are very old, make loud noise and emit high-smoke while passing through narrow streets. I shall be grateful if you could highlight this issue of public concern that is causing harmful effects to the residents. The remedy could be a check on vehicles using pressure horns by the District Transport Authority and getting the same replaced with normal horns to address the problem. Further, old school vans not meeting the safety standards should also be dealt with strictly under the Transport Act.