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UPA Govt using CBI, ED against rivals, says Sukhbir
Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal and minister Anil Joshi inspect the BRTS
project model in Amritsar on Wednesday. Photo: Vishal Kumar
Gangsters gun down 2 youths in Jalandhar
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School kids served substandard food
Sports Dept set to benefit from hike in liquor prices
Police on their toes during Sukhbir’s Faridkot visit
Book Joshi for forgery: Cong
Cong keen on pact with Manpreet
Badal Govt mismanaging finances: Bajwa AAP to hold Hola Mohalla conference AAP approaches Bhagwant Mann
NRI named by Bhola is close to Majithia: Cong
Bhola produced in Mohali court
Ludhiana unit evades
Rs 1.25 cr VAT
It’s a poll gimmick, say Bhullar’s kin
Naujawan Sabha activists protest
Unions demand plots for the homeless, protest in
Muktsar
Waterlogging
problem 14 senior police officers transferred
Decision on new job for Bains today
Only Akal Takht can resolve calendar row, says Makkar
AISSF to meet PM on 1984 anti-Sikh riots
Sikh bus driver wins turban suit
HC refuses to entertain plea
for CBI probe into drug racket
HC relief for Dera Sacha Sauda chief
No impact if accused not given legal aid during pre-trial: HC
3 of six accused get bail in suicide case
SSSB scam: Akali leader Valtoha acquitted
150-kg poppy husk seized near Jalalabad
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Gangsters gun down 2 youths in Jalandhar
Jalandhar February 26 Family members of the victims claimed they had received threats from the gang and blamed the police for not providing them security. The gangsters reportedly fired 15 shots. Eight shells were recovered from the crime spot. The assailants also used sharp-edged weapons. Angry residents gheraoed the house of the main accused (Bhana) and set furniture on fire. Additional DCPs Baljeet Singh Dhillon, Parminder Bhandal and Naresh Dogra rushed to the spot and pacified the protesters. While Simran (22) died on the spot, Deepansh succumbed to his injuries in hospital. Their friend Randeep, who sustained bullet injuries, is fighting for life. Sukhjit Singh, SHO, Basti Bawa Khel police station, said raids were on to nab Bhana and his gang members Gopi, Baba, Gurbej and
Sonu.
Audacious attack
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School kids served substandard food
Patiala, February 26 They said insects, hair and wires were often found in the food. The contract has been given to a West Bengal firm, which has allegedly further outsourced it. Many schools did not receive chapattis in the past few days and the students were given only rice. Principal of Khalsa Sewak Jatha High School, Patiala, Upjit Singh Brar said the contractor was supplying poor-quality food in the school and despite repeated complaints to the district administration, no action had been taken. “After repeatedly finding flies and wires in the food, we called Health Department officials and asked them to collect samples. We met the SDM and gave him a written complaint,” he said. A teacher of Dudhyal Khalsa Senior Secondary School said, “There are days when the student strength is less but the contractor doesn’t check with us and sends excess food.” Mid-day meal in charge Ranbir Singh admitted that there had been several complaints and they had brought the matter to the notice of the senior authorities. He claimed the contractor had been warned.
Complaints galore but no action
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Sports Dept set to benefit from hike in liquor prices
Patiala, February 26 Excise Department officials said the allocation of Rs 60 crore for the promotion of sports in the state Excise Policy 2013-14 was set to increase with the expected increase in the consumption of liquor. People of the state are estimated to consume 33.63 crore liquor bottles in the next financial year. According to the state's population of over 2.77 crore (2011 census), on an average 12.15 liquor bottles are consumed every year by each citizen. In the current fiscal year, the Excise Department gave about Rs 63 crore for the sports development fund against the target of Rs 60 crore. In the next fiscal year, the department expects to furnish an additional Rs 12 crore for the fund. AS Mann, president, Scientific Awareness and Social Welfare Forum (SAF) --- an NGO fighting against liquor and drug abuse --- said the government was increasing the sale of liquor every year, which was not a good sign for the youth of the state where drug abuse was rampant. “Though sparing money for the promotion of sports is a good thing, doing so from the sale of liquor does not augur well for the state,” Mann said. However, a senior Excise Department official said the sale of liquor would rise with the rising population. He said being adults, it was up to them to consume or stay away from liquor. He said in the current fiscal, the Excise Policy had also provided Rs 83 crore for the education sector, Rs 18 crore for the preservation and maintenance of heritage monuments and Rs 10 crore for the social security fund. Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Punjab, Anurag Verma told The Tribune that their department would levy Rs 7 per proof litre on liquor, which would be diverted to the Sports Department.
Facts and figures
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Police on their toes during Sukhbir’s Faridkot visit
Faridkot, February 26 As Sukhbir was to attend public rallies in the old grain markets in Jaitu, Kotkapura and Faridkot, the police yesterday collected the list of persons who had licensed fire weapons and lived near the grain markets. They were asked to deposit the weapons with the police. Taking no chance, the police collected the details about the employees engaged in all shops in these areas and checked their credentials from the employers. The Begowal incident, coupled with the call of unions of government employees and the unemployed to show black flags to the Deputy CM, made the police apprehensive. So to avoid any untoward incident and rush-hour traffic, the police asked the shopkeepers near the grain markets to keep the shutters down to leave no chance for any protester to take shelter in the shops. “The traders agreed to the police demand for closing shops,” Varinder Kumar, president of the shopkeepers’ union in old grain market of Faridkot, said. In the run-up to the Lok Sabha poll, there has been a significant upgrade of security to the Chief Minister and his deputy, a senior police officer in Faridkot, requesting anonymity, said. Meanwhile, Sukhbir laid the foundation stones of sewerage systems in Jaitu, Kotkapura and Faridkot. Besides, he laid the stone for a children’s hospital in Kotkapura and inaugurated a drinking water project in Faridkot, connecting it with the Raja Minor Canal to provide quality drinking water to the area. “With this, a long-pending demand of Faridkot residents has been fulfilled,” Faridkot MLA Deep Malhotra said. Sukhbir also laid the foundation stone of a bus stand in the town. On guard
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Book Joshi for forgery: Cong
Amritsar, February 26 In a statement, PPCC vice-presidents OP Soni and Sardul Singh and general secretary Harpartap Singh Ajnala said the Election Commission (EC) had asked the Returning Officer to file a criminal case against Joshi and his family members. But the Deputy Commissioner “has opted to file a complaint” in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate. They said this was an “attempt to save” the minister. The Congress leaders alleged that Joshi had fabricated documents to enroll himself as voter at two places and should also be booked under Sections 420, 468 and 120 of the IPC. They demanded legal action against the Deputy Commissioners of Amritsar and Tarn Taran for “destroying evidence”. They said the officers had told the EC that documents submitted by Joshi were “not traceable.” The leaders said the Congress would pursue the matter till its logical end. Talking to The Tribune, advocate BM Vinayak said the minister could face imprisonment up to one year if convicted in the case. He, however, said he did not see the possibility of the minister facing disqualification in case he was convicted. Complainants against the minister, advocates Sandeep Gorsi and Vaneet Mahajan, have urged the Election Commission, Chief Electoral Officer and DGP to register a forgery case against Joshi.
Rana Gurjeet moves EC
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Cong keen on pact with Manpreet
Chandigarh, February 26 Sources said the Congress high command was keen for an electoral pact with the CPI and the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP)and was willing to leave the Bathinda seat for the PPP and the Faridkot seat for the CPI. But PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal said no Congress leader had approached him in this regard. He said the Sanjha Morcha would meet on March 28 and finalise its candidates. Congress insiders said besides Sukhdev Singh Libra, the high command was considering the names of Dr Amar Singh, a retired IAS officer, for the Fatehgarh Sahib (reserve) seat. A former Managing-Director of the FCI, he belongs to Boparai village near Ludhiana. For the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat, the Congress is considering the names of Santosh Chaudhary, incumbent MP, and Youth Congress leader Vikram Chaudhary. For the Khadoor Sahib constituency, the front runners are Kulbir Singh Zira, Harminder Singh Gill and Sukhpal Singh Bhullar. For the Ferozepur seat, besides Jagmeet Singh Brar, others in the race are Harnirpal Singh Kuku, Hans Raj Joshan, Rana Gumeet Singh Sodhi, Raja Warring, Jagpal Singh Abulkhurana and Hans Raj Joshan. If the high command decides not to field sitting MLAs, Rana Gumeet Singh and Raja Warring’s names may not be discussed. If PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa decides to contest the poll, he may be re-fielded from Gurdaspur. Actor Raj Babbar’s name is being mentioned for the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency.
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NRI named by Bhola is close to Majithia: Cong
Jalandhar, February 26 Majithia said the Congress was “twisting facts to divert people’s attention from the real issues”. The minister said the Congress plea for a CBI probe into the drug trade had already been turned down by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. “The party is now resorting to falsehood to catch the people’s attention,” he said. Khaira claimed that Satta, who hailed from Hoshiarpur district, had stayed with Majithia at his Amritsar residence. “Phone call details, if procured by the Punjab Police, can reveal how close the two are,” he said. Khaira claimed that Satta had fled to Canada after Bhola’s arrest and that Bhola had saved his cellphone number as “Satta Bikram Majithia”. This could be ascertained with the help of “true caller mobile application,” he said.
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Bhola produced in Mohali court
Mohali, February 26 The court was supposed to start the process of framing charges, but the police failed to produce all the accused following which the court has set the next hearing on March 7. — TNS
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Ludhiana unit evades
Rs 1.25 cr VAT
Patiala, February 26 "Inderjit Forgings is not a dealer of cotton. Its director had fraudulently procured purchase bills to cover up his unaccounted purchases of iron and steel. "The firm's premises were inspected and the dealer was unable to show any stock of cotton with him. The ETO concerned asked the dealer to provide documents to prove his trading in cotton, but he failed to do so," Verma stated. The department also verified the movement of vehicles from Amritsar to Ludhiana from Dhilwan (Kapurthala) and Ladowal (Ludhiana) toll plazas. The Project Director, National Highway Authority of India, informed the department that only seven vehicles had crossed through Dhilwan and one Ladowal. In contrast, the dealer had shown the movement of 76 vehicles", said a senior official of the department. It has written to the police to lodge an FIR under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 120-B of the
IPC.
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It’s a poll gimmick, say Bhullar’s kin
Bathinda, February 26 Gurbachan’s son, Ranjeet, said he had last met his uncle in prison in 2010. He said the Centre only wanted Sikh votes by showing it was sympathetic towards Bhullar. “The government’s statement in court means nothing to us. He has already suffered a lot and his mental health is pitiable,” he said. Bhullar, held guilty of engineering a blast in Delhi in 1993 in which nine persons were killed, moved a mercy petition before the President in January 2003. His request was rejected eight years later in 2011. Last year, the Supreme Court rejected his plea for mercy and he filed a review petition.
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Naujawan Sabha activists protest
Jalandhar, February 26 Sabha leaders said the police was trying to “suppress” them. Kapurthala district president Kulwinder Singh alleged the police had illegally detained Jeet Singh, father of sabha's state committee member Ranjit Desal. "The police are conducting raids at the residences of those associated with the sabha and intimidating their families," Kulwinder alleged. The sabha leaders, along with activists of the Kirti Kisan Union and the Pendu Mazdoor Union, demonstrated near the Kapurthala SSP’s office today and demanded that "drug scam kingpin” Majithia be arrested. They denied they had been instigated by Kapurthala-based Congress leaders as alleged by Majithia.
SSP counters charge: The Kapurthala SSP has denied that the father of a Naujawan Bharat Sabha leader had been detained illegally
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Unions demand plots for the homeless, protest in
Muktsar
Muktsar, February 26 The protesters did not allow the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and other senior officials to come out of the DAC till evening. Later, a meeting was held between the protesters and the district administration, in which the activists agreed to clear the road and continued the indefinite dharna by the roadside. They announced that no leader of the SAD-BJP alliance would be allowed to organise public meetings in villages for the coming elections. Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union general secretary Lachman Singh Sewewala said: “The state government has failed to fulfill its promise made at a meeting in Bathinda recently. We will again meet Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on February 28 to apprise him of the matter. If he does not take an immediate action, we will boycott the elections.” Police personnel were deployed near the DAC to avoid any untoward incident.
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Waterlogging
problem
Gurdaspur, February 26 Speaking on the sidelines of his Sangat Darshan programme here, Badal said he would soon depute senior officers to visit the area to take stock of the situation. He assured the farmers that the government would take every possible step to help them get rid of the problem. “The government is preparing a master plan to tackle the problem of disposal of wastewater in villages,” he said. Badal termed the newly constituted Third Front a mixture of insignificant political parties. He claimed that people had already made up their mind to hand over the reins of the country in the “strong hands” of Narendra Modi. Such fronts would thus hardly have any impact, he said. Buoyed by the “success” of Modi’s rally in the state, Badal said the Gujarat Chief Minister would address a few more rallies in Punjab before the elections. The Chief Minister said the SAD-BJP alliance had announced a majority of their candidates, while the remaining would be named soon.
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14 senior police officers transferred Chandigarh, February 26 Now, Gursharan Singh Sandhu is the SSP of Mohali; Gurpreet Singh Toor is SSP, Ropar; Harjinder Singh is SSP, Batala; Harcharan Singh Bhullar SSP, Khanna; and Sushil Kumar is the SSP of Hoshiarpur. These police officers have been transferred in accordance with the directions of the Election
Commission. Among other officers who have been transferred today is Nageshwar Rao, who is now Insepector General of Police (IG), Crime, replacing RPS Brar. Brar has been posted as IG, Traffic. AK Mittal is the new Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Border Range; Balbir Kumar Bawa has been posted as IG, Election Cell, and Gurpreet Kaur Deo as IGP, NRI and Women Cell. Further, Vibhu Raj,
Khubi Ram and LK Yadav have been promoted as IG, Vigilance Bureau; IG, Security; and IGP, Training at Police Academy,
Phillaur; respectively.
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Decision on new job for Bains today
Chandigarh, February 26 He was expected to meet top government officials tomorrow where the issue of according approval to setting up Police Complaints Authority would be taken up. The Chief Minister is likely to decide on the new Principal Secretary, Home. Among the officers whose names are being considered for the post are 1983-batch officer Jagpal Singh and 1988-batch officer Sanjay Kumar. The sources said Bains, a 1981-batch IAS officer, could be appointed Chairperson of the Police Complaints Authority. The authority would look into allegations of serious misconduct against police personnel.
About the officer
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Only Akal Takht can resolve calendar row, says Makkar
Fatehgarh Sahib, February 26 He said the protest launched by members of the Sikh community to demand a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana was politcally motivated. Without naming the Congress, he said certain political parties raised this issue each time elections were to be held to create a divide in the community. The SGPC president flagged off a rally to create awareness on the drug menace. He said 222 members of the SGPC Dharam Parchar Committee would organise such rallies in villages and towns of the state to wean away the youth from drugs.
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HC refuses to entertain plea
for CBI probe into drug racket
Chandigarh, February 26 Taking up the matter, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Arun Palli asserted it was not inclined to entertain the present petition as the larger issue was already before the High Court. The Bench added an almost identical endeavour was made in two petitions taken up on January 20, but the High Court refused to entertain the pleas. "In fact, those petitions stood withdrawn with liberty to the counsels to assist the court if they seek to point out any specific aspect," the Bench added. The Bench asserted: "The counsel for the petitioner, thus, states that he also would seek to withdraw the petition and if there is any special aspect which he would like to point out, he will do so in the already pending petition where investigation is being monitored".
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HC relief for Dera Sacha Sauda chief
Chandigarh, February 26 The High Court also quashed the sessions’ court order dismissing the revision petition filed against the Trial Court orders. The High Court orders on technical grounds came on a petition filed by the dera chief. The case under 295-A and other Sections of the IPC was registered in May 2007 at Bathinda on the basis of a complaint. The complainant had, in fact, accused the dera head of insulting the tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh. The police, after carrying out investigations in the matter, had filed a cancellation report. Objecting to the same, the complainant had raised questions on the validity of the police probe. Taking up the objections, the Trial Court had rejected the cancellation report before taking cognisance of the alleged offences. After the revision petition against the same was dismissed by the sessions’ court, the dera head moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court. His counsel SK Garg Narwana argued before the High Court that the Trial Court could not have taken cognisance of the matter as it was barred by limitation, which was a legally specified period beyond which action may not be taken without condoning the delay. Elaborating, he argued that the legally specified period for the offences alleged to have been committed was three years. The police could have filed the charge sheet or the court could have taken cognisance of the offences within three years, but not after that without condoning the delay.
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No impact if accused not given legal aid during pre-trial: HC
Chandigarh, February 26 For reaching the conclusion, the High Court referred to the case of Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab versus the State of Maharashtra. The ruling is significant as it is the constitutional duty of the court to provide an accused with a lawyer before the commencement of trial. Quoting the Kasab case order in the Kandahar hijacking case, the Bench of Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Fateh Deep Singh asserted legal aid could be provided to an accused willing to accept the same, but not to an unwilling person. Every accused unrepresented by a lawyer has to be provided an advocate at the commencement of the trial and engaged to represent him during the entire course of the trial. It was, rather, the constitutional duty of the court to provide an accused with a lawyer before the trial. But the failure to provide a lawyer to the accused at the pre-trial stage may not have the same consequence of vitiating the trial. The Bench added: “Though legal assistance to an accused of an offence has been considered to be a part of the constitutional guarantee, it has been held that consequences of not providing such legal assistance at the stage of pre-trial proceedings do not vitiate the trial.
Crucial decision
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3 of six accused get bail in suicide case
Hoshiarpur, February 26 The last rites of Kulraj Bedi, who had committed suicide, were performed today and a bhog organised. People in large numbers attended the bhog at the Sri Hari Baba Ashram. Prominent among those who attended the event were MLA Sunder Sham Arora, Vijay Sampla, chairman, Punjab Forests Corporation, Sanjiv Talwar, BS Jimpa, Deputy Commissioner Tanu Kashyap and Sub-Divisional Magistrate Karnail Singh. The DC assured help to the family. The three out on bail are Nishant, Harsimran and Akshay, while Sumit Narula’s application was rejected. Kulraj had allegedly committed suicide after six of his classmates had beaten him up and humiliated him outside the school on Saturday.
The case
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150-kg poppy husk seized near Jalalabad
Fazilka, February 26 The police led by Sub-Inspector Satpal put up a barricade on the Muktsar road and signalled the car, bearing a Rajasthan registration number, to stop, said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ashok Baath. On searching, 150 kg of poppy husk was seized from the car. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Veer Chand said Sandeep was involved in the sale of narcotics and had been booked under the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, while Rani’s husband Gurmeet Singh, charged under the NDPS Act, was in jail. Both Sandeep and Rani have been booked under Sections 15, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act.
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Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal today reiterated that all those involved in the international drug racket would not be spared, irrespective of their position. He, however, added the police could not nab anyone named by a criminal.
Chandigarh, February 26
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will hold a political conference during the Hola Mohalla to be held at Anandpur Sahib near here next month. “Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal is likely to address the gathering on the occasion,” said Kamal Kishore Sharma, AAP in charge in Ropar.
Last year, SAD-BJP alliance, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) held political conferences during Hola Mohalla. Sharma said the party was gearing up to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections and would soon announce the party candidate from Anandpur Sahib constituency.
— TNS
Jalandhar: Congress leader and Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh has moved the Election Commission, seeking action against senior SAD and BJP leaders for “misusing religion and religious symbols” during the Narendra Modi rally at Jagraon on February 23. Rana has pointed out that Akali leaders had presented a turban, a sword and a replica of the Golden Temple, all religious symbols, to the Gujarat Chief Minister. He said the turban was presented to Modi amid the chanting of ‘Bole So Nihal’. He said he had written to the Akal Takht Jathedar about the “sacrilege.”
