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Gurdwara panel to preserve remains of Ajnala martyrs
Jalandhar outfit wants well renamed Shaheedan Wala Khu
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Revolt brewing in SAD camp too
Anti-incumbency stares Bittu in face
AAP ticket aspirants back Dr Gandhi
analysis
BSP campaigns in Hoshiarpur; Cong, BJP yet to field nominees
This border village’s cup of woes is brimming
Mid-day meal workers protest near Finance Minister’s residence
PU has no power to penalise colleges: HC
Jalandhar shootout
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Gurdwara panel to preserve remains of Ajnala martyrs
Ajnala (Amritsar), March 8 Committee president Amarjit Singh Sarkaria and researcher Surinder Kochhar said, “We’ve decided to preserve and showcase in a museum the skulls and larger bones recovered from the historic well. However, we will perform the martyrs’ last rites with the smaller bones excavated from the site.” They said the funeral would be conducted as per Hindu as well as Muslim rituals, as there were some Muslim soldiers too among the 282 dead. “A part of the mortal remains will be consigned to flames while the other part will be buried as per Muslim rituals,” they said, adding that they’ve already contacted some Muslim religious leaders in Malerkotla in this regard. They said they had also intimated the state government’s Cultural Affairs Department about their plan. Meanwhile, in view of the fresh controversy, the state government seems to be treading with caution on the issue. SS Channy, Principal Secretary, Cultural Affairs and Archaeology Department, visited the historic site and said the government would decide on the future course of action after consulting the experts and all those concerned with the issue. On the latest controversy about the martyrs being non-Sikhs, he said it was the job of historians to look into these aspects. On establishing the identity of the martyrs, he said the Union Government would take up the matter with the UK Government. He said they were also in touch with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in this regard. In a related development, the Indian Workers Association (IWA), Great Britain, has assured the gurdwara management committee to make all the efforts possible in the UK to establish the identity of all the 282 martyrs. Comrade Kulbir Singh Sanghera of IWA, members of Indo-Canadian Workers Association, along with Desh Bhagat Yadgar Committee vice-president Ajmer Singh Samra visited the site today and lauded the efforts of the management committee. All of them hit out against those politicising the issue on communal lines while stating that the martyrs have no religion. They said all of them should be declared national martyrs and a museum be raised in their memory. State CPM leader Mangat Ram Pasla also termed the move to “divide martyrs on communal lines” as unfortunate while urging Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to rein in the SAD leaders speaking on these lines. Former state minister Laxmikanta Chawla today raised a strong objection to "humiliating and undesired" words being used by certain quarters for the martyrs of 1857 uprising by linking them to a particular community and state. She said martyrs didn’t have any religion and they were the ones who sacrificed their lives for the country. She urged the CM to act swiftly on the matter and raise a befitting memorial for the martyrs.
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Jalandhar outfit wants well renamed Shaheedan Wala Khu
Jalandhar, March 8 The committee claimed that the British had named the well “Kaleyan Wala Khuh” (well of black people) and demanded that it should be rechristened “Shaheedan Wala Khu”. During a seminar here today, the committee demanded that the Centre and the Punjab Government should procure a list from the British Government of the soldiers who died in the Ajnala well, that they should be declared martyrs, that a museum in Ajnala should constructed where the mortal remains and their belongings could be preserved, and that the road leading to the well should be widened. Historian Surinder Kocchar, who was brain behind the finding, said the Punjab Government had been ignoring the request for exhuming the remains of martyrs for the past three years. He accused officials of the Department of Cultural Affairs of not taking up the issue with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and said instead of paying tributes to the national heroes politicians had raised unnecessary controversy over religion of the martyrs. Kochhar said the findings showed that seven to eight injured tried to get out of the well by making a human ladder. “Seven skeletons were found under the feet of another skeleton found along the wall of the well, indicating that the soldiers formed a human ladder to get out,” he said. Gurdwara Shaheedganj Shaheedan Wala Khu Management Committee chief Amarjit Singh Sarkaria claimed that the management had decided to construct a museum to showcase the mortal remains of the martyrs in Ajnala. “The management has spent nearly Rs 1 crore on the exhuming the remains and will spend more to keep the history alive,” he added.
Brahmin Sabha for temple at site
Chandigarh: The Brahmin Sabha, Punjab, today said the last rights of the mortal remains of soldiers found from Ajnala should be performed in a dignified manner. Bihari Lal Saddi, general secretary, said as it had been reported that most of the soldiers were from the Brahmin community, the sabha would like to play a role in building a memorial there. A temple should also be built there as suggested by former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, he said. Sabha president Devi Dayal Prashar said a delegation of the
sabha would visit the site soon. — TNS
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Revolt brewing in SAD camp too
Bathinda, March 8 A number of its leaders have come out in the open to oppose the candidates nominated by the Akali Dal for the Lok Sabha elections. In Faridkot, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Ajit Singh Shant has revolted against the party over the allotment of the Lok Sabha ticket to sitting MP Paramjit Kaur Gulshan. Having quit the Congress in 2012, Shant claimed he was promised the SAD ticket when he had joined the party. “I am feeling betrayed by the Akali leadership. A day before the announcement of Gulshan’s candidature, I was promised that I will be the next candidate,” he said. Shant said till 5 pm on March 5, he had been getting assurances. “I did not get any call after that. I only got to know a day later that I was not in the list of nominees. No Akali leader even thought appropriate to speak to me afterwards," he said. In Ludhiana, SAD nominee Manpreet Singh Ayali faces a challenge not only from AAP candidate HS Phoolka and likely Congress nominee Manish Tewari but also from Independent MLA Simranjit Singh Bains. A former Akali, Bains and his brother had revolted in the run-up to the 2012 assembly elections too over allotment of the party ticket. Both the brothers had contested successfully as Independent candidate. Kulwant Singh, SAD candidate from Fatehgarh Sahib, is also facing opposition from the local leaders who have been calling him an “outsider”. Singing paeans to the Congress, Shant said when he was denied the (Congress) Lok Sabha ticket in 2009, several senior leaders called him to assure that he would be pitted in the assembly elections. He fought from Nihalsinghwala constituency but was defeated. He said the SAD must have thought that as Congress had left the Faridkot seat for Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Karnail Singh, “it would win easily as the latter would not spend too much money”. "The Akalis feel the candidate does not matter as they can win this seat with money power alone," he said. About his future course of action, Shant said it was too early to say anything. “I am yet to recover from the shock," he said. Voices of dissent
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Anti-incumbency stares Bittu in face
Ropar, March 8 Of 9,05,104 votes polled (68 per cent), Bittu was polled 4,04,836 votes and Cheema 3,37,632. The third highest votes were secured by Kewal Krishan of the BSP who was polled 1,18,088 votes. Many factors that had led the win of Congress candidate, a grandson of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, have gone missing. Being a new face, Bittu did not have to face anti-incumbency. He was able to get votes due to his legacy and in the name of Dr Manmohan Singh. Despite that he had to face a tough competition from SAD candidate Cheema, also an “outsider”. Out of the nine assembly segments in Anandpur Sahib parliamentary constituency, Cheema had taken a lead over Bittu by 2,816 votes in Garhshankar. In two constituencies of Nawanshahr and Balachaur, Bittu could register a thin lead of less than 1,000 votes. This time while Bittu will have to face anti-incumbency, his main rival, senior SAD leader Prem Singh Chandumajra is banking upon the “Modi wave” and his clout in Mohali and Kharar where Bittu was polled the maximum votes in 2009. Chandumajra who is living in Mohali for 20 years has been getting full support of the BJP in the constituency. Past perfect
Future tense
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AAP ticket aspirants back Dr Gandhi
Patiala, March 8 Over 30 candidates had applied for AAP ticket from Patiala. The party high command had short-listed 10. Kundan Gogia, who was among those short-listed, said AAP was fighting for the common man and there was no race for any political chair. He said even before the party had announced its candidate, they had decided that they would support the party irrespective of the candidate. To misguide people, the opposition parties had started rumours that few AAP candidates were parting ways following ticket allotment, he added. Manjeet Kaur Bagga, another short-listed candidate, said today’s announcement would not only put to rest all speculations regarding fissures in AAP but would also be a wake up call for all opposition parties that AAP was all set to take on them. Bhagwant to campaign
in Mathura
Comedian-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann will address a rally of the Aam Aadmi Party at Mathura in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. Party chief Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia will also address the rally. Mann said he would campaign in areas where Punjabis were settled in good numbers.
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analysis
Chandigarh, March 8 But, Sidhu and Birmi are not the first ones to join the SAD. Earlier, senior leaders Avtar Singh Brar (former minister), Joginderpal Jain (MLA from Moga) and Ajit Singh Shant (former MLA) had also crossed over to the Akali Dal. Jain even re-contested from Moga and emerged victorious on the SAD ticket. SAD president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal seems to be working out defections in the Congress at will. Though Jeet Mohinder was reportedly in touch with the top Akali leadership for long, it was Sukhbir who carefully chose the timing. He made it sure the defection happened after the Lok Sabha elections were announced. Talwandi Sabo assembly seat is part of Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency from where Sukhbir’s wife Harsimrat Kaur is the SAD candidate. Congress MLA from Batala Ashwani Sekhri said, “It seems some Congress leaders have been bribed to damage the party’s prospects. Jeet Mohinder remained close to two former Punjab Congress presidents. He even used to advise them on key decisions. And now he is in the SAD.” “What hurts the most is that the top Congress leadership was unable to find out what Jeet Mohinder was up to and with whom he was hobnobbing to damage the party. There may be some more who will follow him to the SAD. All the black sheep must be identified and shunted out the Congress well in time,” said Sekhri. A political analyst said one reason for the defections could be that the Congress was out of power in Punjab for the last seven years. He said another reason could be factionalism within the Congress. “The top party leadership is divided into several camps. Though the high command has appointed central leaders to take care of such issues, they perhaps have no time to meet the MLAs, MPs and other leaders on one-to-one basis to listen to their grievances,” the analyst said. Former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said, “It is time for all the Congress leaders to unite for the party’s cause. There is need for greater coordination and interaction at various levels to keep the flock
together.
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BSP campaigns in Hoshiarpur; Cong, BJP yet to field nominees
Hoshiarpur, March 8 “We have already covered six assembly segments. With 15 conferences in every segment starting from Mukerian, we have already organised 90 such conferences,” said BSP leader Bhagwan Singh Chauhan. BJP’s Phagwara MLA Som Parkash seems to be leading the race for party ticket, but sources said he was not desirous of contesting the Lok Sabha poll. Vijay Sampla, chairman, Punjab Forest Development Corporation, and Dr Dilbah Rai, convener, BJP SC Morcha, are in the race. Former Garhdiwala MLA Sihan Singh Bodal, who recently joined the BJP, claims that he was promised ticket by the party. There are many aspirants for Congress ticket. MP Santosh Chowdhary is the frontrunner. Other contenders are Dr Raj Kumar, Mohinder Singh Kaypee and Raj Kumar
Verka.
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Dissension like never before: Ashwani
New Delhi, March 8 “The exit of senior party functionaries, including MLAs, from the party is indeed most unfortunate. There is unprecedented internal dissension within the party and this is a huge challenge for us as we approach the Lok Sabha elections. This was the time when our unity should have been at its best. But the reverse is true,” Ashwani Kumar told The Tribune today. Rajya Sabha MP from the state, Kumar said the party was facing the toughest election ever and “complete unity was the need of the hour”. “The challenge really is to remove a sense of alienation and also to field the strongest possible candidate in every seat in order to secure maximum electoral advantage,” said Kumar, who is a member of the Punjab Pradesh Election Committee. Asked to comment on reports that Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa was unwilling to fight from his Lok Sabha segment Gurdaspur, Kumar said, “If Pradesh Congress president does not contest an election for any reason, the message would be demoralising for everyone and could well be interpreted as conceding defeat. I am sure the central leadership will take notice of the matter considering Bajwa had been given a free hand in the run-up to Punjab Assembly polls in 2012 and most tickets in his Lok Sabha segment were given on his recommendation. It is expected the people will support him.”
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This border village’s cup of woes is brimming
Daoke (Amritsar), March 8 A lone approach road passing over the Hudiara drain and the Defence drain leads up to the village. Daoke has Pakistani villages named Laloh, Maujuke and Bhaini Jatta in its neighbourhood. As soon as one enters the village one is hit by a foul stench emanating from the Hudiara drain. The bridge over the Defence drain is in bad shape with its railings damaged. With gravel strewn over the approach road for over a month, it is difficult to ply a four-wheeler on it. The authorities claim they are reconstructing the road. On entering the village, one notices mud houses, dusty streets and choked sewers. Though the village has a high school, the children living here have to commute to either Attari or Jhabal for higher education. Both these places are 15-16 km from here. The village neither has a hospital nor a veterinary dispensary. This forces the residents to travel to Attari and to Amritsar, 40 km from here, to access proper health care facilities. Villagers have to rely on a private bus that visits the village once in a day to travel to the other parts of the state. Village resident Harjap Singh said around 300 acres of land of the village was across the border fence and cultivating it was a tough job due to time restrictions imposed in view of security reasons. There are only two gates at the fence which open for 12 to 15 days in a month. He also revealed that the groundwater had got polluted due to Hudiara drain. Though the village has a water tank, no RO system has been installed. Another resident Gurnam Singh felt that industrial units should be set up in the border belt and special quota for border youth should be fixed in the army and paramilitary forces, as these will help in providing them employment and weaning them off drugs. Around 15 to 20 per cent of the village youths are addicted to drugs. However, the villagers deny any involvement in drug smuggling and blame the “outsiders”. Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat said though the government was spending Rs 6 crore annually on the development of border villages, they would try and allocate more funds to redress the residents’ grievances.
Picture of neglect
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Mid-day meal workers protest near Finance Minister’s residence
Sangrur, March 8 Raising slogans, they marched towards the minister’s house, but the police stopped them in their tracks near the turn leading to Dhindsa’s house. A minor clash ensued. As they were not allowed to march ahead, the protesters staged a dharna on the Nankiana Sahib road, affecting traffic for about an hour. Mid-day meal workers demand that women should be paid on par with men, minimum wages of Rs 10,000 per month, abolition of contract system, implementation of labour laws and regular jobs. Lal Jhanda Mid-Day Meal Workers Union, Punjab, district president Jasmail Kaur Beer Kalan said, “Women are still discriminated against. Like men, the salary of women workers should be commensurate with their workload.” She demanded the implementation of recommendations of the 45th Labour Conference that would provide them at least Rs 10,000 per month. Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) state secretary Dev Raj Verma urged the Punjab government to accept the demands of mid-day meal workers as they played a major role in the implementation of mid-day meal scheme in the schools.
Their demands
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PU has no power to penalise colleges: HC
Chandigarh, March 8 The disapproval came on a bunch of six appeals filed by the university against different colleges. It had challenged Single Judge’s order. Pronounced in August last year, the judge had held that there was no power with the university to impose such a fine. The Bench also decried the university’s action of filing the appeal after the expiry of limitation period. “The appeal suffers from gross delays and laches…. In substance, the only plea given for delay in filing is that a committee of lecturers appointed was looking into the ramifications of the judgment and there were interceding holidays. “For condoning the delay in re-filing, the substantive ground is that complete papers to file the appeal were not made available. To say the least, these are hardly legitimate excuses for such inordinate delays and there is, thus, really no merit in the plea of condoning the delay in filing and re-filing of the appeal”. The Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Augustine George Masih asserted: “A monetary penalty must be authorised through a specific provision in the Act or the regulations and such an authority cannot be assumed in the absence of the provision. “On our query, as to why necessary steps are not taken to amend the statute/regulations if the university is of the view that the authority to impose the fine should be conferred for better administration, counsel for the appellant submits that there is considerable correspondence on this issue as the university has been requesting the Central Government for such an authority, but it has not been granted. “The aforesaid, in our view, itself defeats the case of the appellant as it was conscious of the need for amendment to authorise for fine… “It appears that the university has not appreciated what has been observed in the impugned order, i.e., if regular principal was not appointed and, thus, the Syndicate was of the view that a college was not being administered properly, it was open to the university to appoint a representative of the university on the managing body of the college for better administration. “We are, thus, of the view that even on merits, no case is made out and the only proper methodology by which such powers can be conferred appears to have already been undertaken by the university by proposing an amendment to the statute and regulations which, unfortunately, so far has not been done”.
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Jalandhar shootout
Jalandhar March 8 The accused have been identified as Jaspinder Singh Goldy of Chak Gujra in Hoshiarpur, Jatinder Singh Shera of Kukar village, Amanpreet Singh of Lambra and Money of Suchi village in Jalandhar. The Patiala and Jalandhar police had conducted a joint operation to nab them. The police seized some weapons from them. The accused were allegedly involved in the killing of Simran and Deepansh at Raja Garden in Jalandhar on February 26. They were also wanted in the murder case of Naresh Kumar, who was allegedly gunned
down by the gang members two days ago. Earlier, when the Patiala police signaled the accused to stop at a naka near Rajpura, the accused fled. In the ensuing chase, the accused opened fire. The police retaliated and after a struggle of over an hour, the police managed to nab the accused.
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The Desh Bhagat Yadgar Committee, Jalandhar, has lodged a protest over calling the well in Ajnala.
Ropar, March 8
Surrounded from three sides by the Indo-Pak Border, Daoke village has been grappling with the lack of basic amenities and rampant drug addiction among its youth. The village has often been in the news for the smuggling of gold, contraband and counterfeit currency.
On International Women’s Day, hundreds of mid-day meal workers protested near Punjab Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa’s house here today.
Raising slogans, they marched towards the minister’s house, but the police stopped them in their tracks near the turn leading to Dhindsa’s house.
