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No rift over candidature, says Ambika Soni
At 603, Tarn Taran tops EC list of potential troublemakers
Finally, Vinod Khanna silences detractors, bags Gurdaspur ticket
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In ticket race, state’s old guard pips youth brigade
Talwandi Sabo byelection may be held with LS poll
AAP picks noted eye surgeon for Amritsar
Rana Gurmit calls Bajwa weak, may quit Cong
Cong leaders ‘bicker’ at press meet
Factionalism in the Congress came to fore when party’s Anandpur Sahib candidate Ambika Soni reached here today. Former Anandpur Sahib MLA and senior Congress leader KP Rana prevented newly appointed district president Harbhag Singh Saini from occupying a chair during Soni’s press conference at Anandpur Sahib.
‘Liquor’ at rally: Clean chit irks poll panel
Akalis meet President, seek SIT for probe into ’84 riots
Ticket denied to Santosh; former minister threatens to quit
BKU (Mann) to support Cong
Ashutosh Maharaj's death
Most-wanted Bhana in touch with jail inmates
Thapar University students win programming contest
An Albino Blue Rock Pigeon
Extend cancer train’s route, demands NGO
HC drops contempt charges against Union Ministry secy
Rape case: Girl’s family alleges police inaction
Five booked for abducting teenager
Opium worth Rs 9 lakh seized in Fazilka
Gang of looters busted; 4 held
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No rift over candidature, says Ambika Soni
Chandigarh, March 25 Talking to mediapersons here, Ambika Soni, political secretary to Congress president, said: “It was only after Bittu accepted the decision that my candidature was announced. There is no rift on the matter.” On “indecent” comments made about her age by her opponent Prem Singh Chandumajra, Ambika Soni said she accepted her age with grace. “The comments show how disrespectful Chandumajra is towards women who will teach him a lesson at the hustings,” she said. The Congress leader said the people of Punjab were fed up with the Akalis and they were ready to express their anger by voting against them. In Anandpur Sahib, factionalism in the Congress came to fore when party’s Anandpur Sahib candidate Ambika Soni reached here today. Former Anandpur Sahib MLA and senior Congress leader KP Rana prevented newly appointed district president Harbhag Singh Saini from occupying a chair during Soni’s press conference at Anandpur Sahib. When Saini protested, Soni asked all leaders to keep calm following which the district president sat on the chair. Rana had opposed the appointment of Saini terming him an “outsider”. Party leaders, including Chamkaur Sahib MLA Charanjit Channi, district president Harbhag Singh, former minister Ramesh Dutt Sharma and KP Rana welcomed her at different places. Soni also paid obeisance at a temple at Jatwad village, near Nurpur Bedi. Sitting MP Ravneet Singh Bittu was conspicuous by his absence. Ambika Soni said she was confident of her victory as she had been nurturing the Anandpur Sahib constituency for sometime. On party’s decision to field prominent leaders, Soni said the Congress high command was getting constant feedback that the people of Punjab were fed up with the SAD-BJP’s policies, including imposition of fresh taxes. So it was decided to field stalwarts to regain the faith of public, she said. “Since the announcements, there has been a dramatic change in the political scenario. While the morale of Congress cadre has increased, the SAD-BJP leaders were looking ways to minimise the margin of their defeat,” she added.
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At 603, Tarn Taran tops EC list of potential troublemakers
Chandigarh, March 25 As many as 603 potential troublemakers have been put under scanner, and were likely to be arrested and prosecuted under Sections 107, 109 and 110 of the CrPC in case found violating peace in their area. The total number of such persons kept on “watch list” in 27 police districts is 2,145 (till today evening). Additional Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Raminder Singh said persons having the potential for indulging in violence, identified on the basis of information from the area police, were expected to execute a bond for keeping peace in their area during the elections. The names of a majority of these persons have figured in different police complaints, particularly in recent period, after the announcement of elections. As many as 548 persons were put on the list over the last 24 hours alone. The Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar police district has 342 potential troublemakers, Moga 225, Sangrur 190 and Ludhiana (Rural) 135. On the contrary, Batala, Amritsar (City), Ropar, SAS Nagar, Ferozepur, Muktsar and Mansa police districts do not even have a single potential troublemaker. The CEO office, meanwhile, is still awaiting a reaction from the Election Commissioner of India on the Akali Dal’s Hola Mohalla function in Anandpur Sahib. The Punjab election office had given a clean chit to the event saying it was an “annual religious gathering, and not a political rally”. The commissioner’s office was also reportedly verifying what action the state unit had taken after a clear order for cancelling the event had been issued. The state election office is also yet to finalise the findings of a report from the Home Department on allegations by the Congress against senior police officers playing “blue eyed boys” to the ruling
SAD-BJP leadership. The Congress had complained against Bathinda Inspector General of Police (Intelligence) Jatinder Jain and Inspector General of Police (Border) PS
Umranangal, Ludhiana Police Commissioner Paramjit Singh Gill, Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police
(SSP) Gurpreet Bhullar, Mansa SSP Bhupinder Singh Khatra and Ferozepur SSP Manwinder Singh.
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Finally, Vinod Khanna silences detractors, bags Gurdaspur ticket
Khanna had to face a stiff challenge from industrialist Swaran Salaria to get the ticket for the fifth successive time. He contested the 1998, 1999 and 2004 elections and won all the three. In the 2009 elections, the actor, who also remained the Minister of State for External Affairs when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister, had to eat humble pie. He was defeated by PPCC chief and sitting MP Partap Singh Bajwa. Khanna, who has earned the sobriquet ‘King of bridges’ for the numerous bridges he got constructed across the Ravi, Beas and Ujh rivers during his 11-year tenure as MP, is flying into the constituency tomorrow from New Delhi with his industrialist wife Kavita Khanna, a former member of the BJP national executive. He reportedly found favour with party bigwigs, including vice-president Arun Jaitley and former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani. Sources said Jaitley pushed for the film star’s candidature citing that since he himself was contesting from Amritsar seat, he needed a strong candidate in neighbouring Gurdaspur constituency. In recent weeks, Khanna’s opponents had launched a virulent attack by claiming that he was sick and had been admitted to a hospital. Speaking to The Tribune, Khanna not only scotched these rumours as false but also said the party had asked him to campaign in several seats across the country. “I am fine and in the pink of health. I know my opponents have been spreading rumours about my ill health,” said Khanna. All the four SAD halqa in charge of this constituency, Nirmal Singh Kahlon, SS Sekhwan, SS Langah and LS Lodhinangal, have welcomed Khanna’s candidature. From 2002 to 2003, Khanna remained a Minister of State for Tourism after which he was “promoted” to the more important Ministry of External Affairs (2003 to 2004).
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Fielding seniors is Rahul’s plan to write them off, says Sukhbir
Chandigarh/Faridkot, March 25 In a statement, Sukhbir alleged that Rahul’s strategy was to replace the “spent forces” with those loyal to him once the Lok Sabha elections were over. The SAD chief called it the "Formula Rahul-2019" and likened it to the “Kamraj plan” adopted by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in the sixties to rein in the “troublesome” old guard. “All the biggies in the Congress then were told to resign from their respective posts in the party,” he said. Sukhbir alleged that Rahul could see that the Congress stood no chance of forming a government at the Centre after the elections. "That is why people like Amarinder Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Partap Singh Bajwa and Sunil Jakhar had publically aired their views saying they would rather campaign for others than contest. But now these leaders, all of whom are on their way out, have been forced to contest to save embarrassment for the Rahul's younger squad," the SAD president said. In Faridkot, Sukhbir took a whirlwind tour of the constituency, addressing several rallies in favour of Paramjit Kaur Gulshan. Probably taking a dig at Gulshan’s Congress opponent and MLA Joginder Singh Panjgraian over the latter’s educational qualification, the SAD president said the Akali nominee was a post-graduate and a “well qualified” leader. “During her tenure, she raised a number of issues in Parliament relating to your demands and needs. What do you expect Joginder Singh to speak about you in the Lok Sabha? He is merely a matriculate and not comfortable in speaking English or Hindi,” he remarked. Sukhbir alleged that leaders like Joginder should be kept away from Parliament and an educated candidate should be given a chance. In Nihal Singh Wala, Sukhbir visited Ajit Shant’s house. Shant’s supporters claimed that he was inducted into the SAD on the promise of being fielded from Faridkot. Shant had won as an independent MLA from Nihal Singh Wala assembly constituency in Moga district in the 2007 elections and had joined the Congress later.
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In ticket race, state’s old guard pips youth brigade
Chandigarh, March 25 While the Akali-BJP combine has given one ticket each to a woman and to a young candidate (Paramjit Kaur Gulshan from Faridkot and Pawan Kumar Teenu from Jalandhar), the Congress has fielded two women candidates -- Ambika Soni (Anandpur Sahib) and Preneet Kaur (Patiala). However, the party, whose vice president Rahul Gandhi is always seen batting for a younger team, is relying mostly on poll veterans in Punjab. In fact, the Congress chose to replace its young-sitting MP Ravneet Singh Bittu with veteran Ambika Soni. As an afterthought, he has now been adjusted in Ludhiana. Bittu’s nomination came after sitting Congress MP from Ludhiana Manish Tewari refused to contest the elections citing health grounds. In Faridkot, Congress leader Sukhwinder Singh Danny, who lost to the SAD in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, was not considered for the ticket. The party has fielded Joginder Singh Panjgraian from there. On the other hand, most of the leaders in the fray in Punjab are septuagenarians or octogenarians, including Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Capt Amarinder Singh and Ambika Soni. It is probably following this new approach of fielding seniors that rumours are doing the rounds that Sangrur MP Vijay Inder Singla may be replaced by former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal. Singla, however, has dubbed these rumours “ill-founded”, and the ones “generated” by his rivals. “My campaign is on at full swing and these rumours have been generated only to harm my political prospects,” he told The Tribune.
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Talwandi Sabo byelection may be held with LS poll
Chandigarh, March 25 The seat had fallen vacant on March 6 after Congress MLA Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu resigned and joined the rival SAD. The resignation was also published in the bulletin of Vidhan Sabha proceedings on March 7. A formal notification in this regard was also issued on the same day. Punjab Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira today alleged: "The Vidhan Sabha Secretary and Speaker connived with the Chief Minister and did not inform anyone about the matter. The Punjab Vidhan Sabha Rule No. 51 states that after accepting the resignation of a member, the Secretary is duty bound to immediately inform the Election Commission of India and CEO, Punjab." He alleged the Secretary misled the MLAs by not informing them about the notification with the intent of delaying the byelection. Vidhan Sabha Secretary Ved Pal said it was the prerogative of the Speaker to inform the EC and the CEO regarding a seat falling vacant. He said he had also sought EC's intervention for holding the byelection along with the Lok Sabha elections. A PPCC delegation met VK Singh, CEO, today to demand holding of the Talwandi Sabo byelection along with the Lok Sabha poll. Raminder Singh, Additional Chief Electoral Officer, said he had sought a reply from the Vidhan Sabha Secretary on the validity of the notification given to the Election Office by Khaira. Earlier, in a reply to the Chief Electoral Office, the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat had indicated that the notification was pending due to some legal matter. "We will wait for a reply from the Secretary before forwarding the notification to the EC," he said. 'May move SC against DGP' Reiterating his demand for the removal of Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, Khaira said the fact that all police officials were given a clean chit in inquiries on poll code violations vindicated his allegation that the DGP was trying to influence the poll to prove his loyalty to the SAD leaders. He said since the DGP had been allowed to continue despite being chargesheeted in a criminal case, he was planning to move the Supreme Court. SAD kept notification under wraps: Cong The Vidhan Sabha secretary misled the MLAs by not informing them about the notification with the intent of delaying the byelection Sukhpal Khaira, PPCC spokesman
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AAP picks noted eye surgeon for Amritsar
Talking to The Tribune, Dr Daljit said: "Corruption and inflation are the two big issues concerning the people." On being pitted against two high- profile candidates, Capt Amarinder Singh (Cong) and Arun Jaitley (BJP), he said: "I don't perceive them so as they have done nothing for the common masses." But destiny had other plans for him. He said both the Akalis and the Congress had neglected the border areas. For Khadoor Sahib residents, Bhai Baldeep Singh is no outsider. His ancestors, who had roots in Fatehabad village of Tarn Taran, moved to Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala mid 19th century. Bhai Baldeep Singh is piited against against SAD stalwart Ranjit Singh SAD (Amritsar)
president.
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Rana Gurmit calls Bajwa weak, may quit Cong
Praising Capt Amarinder Singh for entering the poll arena and resurrecting the party, Sodhi claimed he had spent more years in politics than CLP Leader Sunil Jakhar, who had been asked to contest from Ferozepur. Harcharan Bains, general secretary of the SAD, did not rule out the possibility of Sodhi crossing over. He claimed that not only Sodhi, but several other senior Congress leaders could join the SAD in the near future. Jakhar said he could understand Sodhi's sentiments, whom he called “dear friend”. He said he was hopeful that Sodhi would support him in the larger interest of the party. "Senior leaders were fleeing from contesting till Capt Amarinder Singh took up the challenge from Amritsar. I was already holding the fort in Ferozepur and was shocked to learn of Jakhar’s nomination. The PCC chief has failed to brief the high command on the ground realities,” he said. Sodhi said he would chalk out his future course of action after consulting his supporters. Sitting Akali MP Sher Singh Ghubaya from Ferozepur is facing opposition from local leaders. A former BJP legislator and former Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sukhpal Singh Nannu had openly expressed resentment at Ghubaya’s nomination. Ghubaya’s differences with some SAD leaders, including Vardev Singh Mann (halqa in charge for Guruharsahai) are no secret. Rana Sodhi's son Anumit Singh “Heera” Sodhi, who had sought the Congress ticket, said: “My supporters have asked me to contest as an independent candidate. But a decision will be taken after my father returns from Delhi.” Mohinder Rinwa, former Fazilka MLA, who has some differences with Jakhar, said that he would support the latter. Former Congress Working Committee member Jagmeet Singh Brar, who had also applied for the Ferozepur ticket, said: “I welcome the party decision to field Jakhar. Now the PCC president and Capt Amarinder Singh should sit together and ensure there is no rebellion.”
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Capt’s candidature unites Cong groups
Amritsar, March 25 Amritsar Central legislator OP Soni and Rajasansi MLA, who were at loggerheads, have come together too. Amarinder reportedly brokered a truce between them. The two attended a meeting here today to chalk out a plan for Amarinder's road show on March 28. The two MLAs had fallen apart after the 2009 Lok Sabha elections after Soni lost from Sukh Sarkaria's Rajansansi assembly segment. Sarkaria had raised a banner of revolt against PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa in September last. He was apparently unhappy at Soni being appointed PPCC vice-president and Majha zone in charge. They now seem to have buried the hatchet. Both Soni and Sarkaria addressed the media today, saying they had ironed out their differences and stood united. Congress leaders claim that Amarinder's candidature has "spread panic" in the ruling alliance. It has raised the stakes for the SAD that was instrumental in bringing Jaitley to Amritsar, not expecting the Congress would field a heavyweight against him, and that too a former Chief Minister. "The Congress move has caught the alliance off guard," confessed a BJP leader. The continuous attack on Amarinder ever since his candidature was announced betrays the panic in the SAD camp. Also, Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia has been accompanying Jaitley to almost all events. Observers say since it was the SAD leadership that convinced Jaitley to contest from Amritsar, it is SAD's responsibility to ensure that he wins. Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders have refuted the charge that Amarinder had been forced to contest from Amritsar, alleging that this was true for BJP
Jaitley.
Captain Sahab (Amarinder Singh) had yesterday told the media that 'I am there to fight the BJP candidate whether it is Jaitley, Fately or Footly.' I am glad the national media chose to ignore this comment. Humility and courtesies are alien to the
Captain. Arun Jaitley on the Facebook
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CEO biased, acting at behest of Akalis, alleges Amarinder
Patiala, March 25 Alleging the CEO was biased, Amarinder said: "I am sorry at the way the official machinery in Punjab is being misused and the CEO is himself acting at the behest of the Akalis." Accompanied by Preneet and son Raninder Singh, Amarinder assured all Congress candidates that he would tour Punjab to campaign for them despite his candidature from Amritsar. “I was informed four days ago that I will be contesting from Amritsar. Once I got the call from Sonia Gandhi, I decided to call it a war and took out my sword. Now, it will return to the scabbard only when the battle is won,” he said. Amarinder said he had already got two calls from Manpreet Badal (Congress-PPP nominee from Bathinda). In a lighter vein, he said, “Patiala Deputy Commissioner Gopal Krishan Singh needs specks to see the code violations by Akalis. They openly distributed liquor at a rally in Sanaur and he gave them a clean chit. Can’t he see the violations? If so, can’t he even read media reports?” he questioned. When contacted, the Deputy Commissioner refuted the allegations as baseless. He claimed he had been “impartial” in his probe into the incident. Notice to Lal Singh for code violation The District Electoral Officer has issued a notice to Congress leader Lal Singh for allegedly holding a political function at his government residence at Rajbaha Road in Patiala. "No party can misuse government accommodation for political functions. Even Congress candidate Preneet Kaur was there. We had already sent request reminders to Lal Singh against holding the function," said Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Electoral Officer GK Singh. He said the expenses of the function would be added to Preneet's poll expenditure. Brahm Mohindra gives function a miss Senior leader and Patiala (Rural) MLA Brahm Mohindra, who had confirmed a couple of days back that he would attend the function, was conspicuous by his absence. Mohindra said he was at his residence and he did not come for the function as it was meant for Sanaur supporters. "I am a bit unwell but will continue to work for the party and ensure Preneet Kaur wins in Patiala," he said when queried on his absence from the function.
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Cong leaders ‘bicker’ at press meet
Ropar/Anandpur Sahib, March 25 When Saini protested, Soni asked all leaders to keep calm following which the district president sat on the chair. Rana had opposed the appointment of Saini terming him an “outsider”. Earlier, Soni paid obeisance at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib. Party leaders, including Chamkaur Sahib MLA Charanjit Channi, district president Harbhag Singh, former minister Ramesh Dutt Sharma and KP Rana welcomed her at different places. Soni also paid obeisance at a temple at Jatwad village, near Nurpur Bedi. — TNS
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‘Liquor’ at rally: Clean chit irks poll panel
Chandigarh, March 25 On March 20, the Congress had (after reports and pictures published in the media) accused the SAD-BJP coalition of violating the election code by distributing liquor among participants of the rally in Ghanaur (Patiala district). Among others, Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal and Patiala candidate Deepinder Dhillon had addressed the event. Following the first clean chit, the Congress had sought a re-probe into the incident, and had even questioned the role of the inquiry officer, PS Gill. Raminder said the report could be sent back for reply on specific allegations like recognising the faces visible in the pictures carried in the media. He said the inquiry report had mentioned said that the picture shown in the story was not of the place from where the incident was reported. “A completely different angle was that the cartons shown in the picture to be of liquor were actually discarded boxes… We will seek a fresh reply,” he said.
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Akalis meet President, seek SIT for probe into ’84 riots
New Delhi, March 25 The delegation demanded that the probe should be monitored by a sitting Judge of the Supreme Court. The leaders said documents related to the UK “role” in the Operation Bluestar should also be handed over to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC). They also sought building of Banda Singh Bahadur memorial in Delhi. A memorandum submitted to the President said, “The mass killings of Sikhs during the riots have not been inquired properly and murderers are roaming free.” The delegation was led by DSGMC president Manjit Singh GK. He was joined by SAD MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Onkar Singh Thapar, Kuldeep Singh Bhogal, Ravinder Singh Khurana and MLAs Harmeet Singh Kalka and Jatinder Singh Shanty. "The Sikhs all over the globe have been observing 30 years of the Operation Bluestar and also of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots to mourn their loved ones. The latest revelation of the Union Government seeking UK help has further caused hurt to the community," they said. The leaders also demanded the setting up of a “Minority University for Sikhs”, which should be funded by the Union Government. The DSGMC has also invited the President to inaugurate Baba Baghel Singh Museum at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib.
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Ticket denied to Santosh; former minister threatens to quit
Hoshiarpur, March 25 He said that the chaos over the Hoshiarpur ticket was caused by “a woman having a senior position
in the party, who had been helping party rebels earlier too”. Talking to mediapersons in the presence of MLA Mukarian Rajnish Kumar Babbi and other senior party leaders of the area, he said, “I had a conversation with Mohinder Singh Kaypee this morning on phone and he categorically said that he was not quite interested in contesting from Hoshiarpur but even then the change of seats is being insisted by a local senior woman leader in party at Delhi. “Earlier too, she had supported the person who contested the elections as a rebel Independent candidate and became the cause of defeat to the
party. Despite that party workers were made to play in his hands on her behest.” Thakur said, “Santosh Chaudhary has worked hard in the Hoshiarpur constituency. She has done what previous MPs could not do collectively. She brought so many Centrally sponsored schemes to Hoshairpur. The Hoshiarpur Express, Amritsar-Hoshiarpur passenger train, Tertiary Cancer Care Hospital and a Kendriya Vidayalaya are a few examples of her contribution as MP. She has a clean image, is an honest leader and a dedicated worker. Denying ticket to her means ignoring real congressmen.” He said Mohinder Singh Kaypee had also performed well as MP from Jalandhar in the past five years. Why should he be not given ticket from there?” Later in the day, the
party announced Mohinder Singh Kaypee as its candidate from Hoshiarpur.
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Badal failed to help Gujarat farmers: Shergill
Mohali, March 25 Addressing mediapersons here today, Shergill said though the farmers, who owned 1 lakh acres, had been allowed to cultivate their land, they could not sell or pledge the property. They were facing uncertainty despite the Gujarat High Court verdict in their favour since the Modi government challenged the same in the Supreme Court. A number of farmers from Gujarat have arrived in the state to campaign for AAP
candidates. Shergill alleged both Modi and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal were anti-farmer and wanted to promote the corporate
sector. Shergill said he was contesting the election to “expose” the Badals and to fight against the
drug menace, corruption, unemployment and inflation. Lachman Singh Brar, a farmer who owns 30 acres in Gujarat, said they had come to meet Badal when Modi initiated the move to evict them, but the former did nothing to help them. Another farmer Surinder Singh Bhullar asked why Badal was not asking Modi to withdraw the case filed against them in the Supreme Court.
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BKU (Mann) to support Cong
Chandigarh, March 25 Moreover, he said the state could not afford to have any kind of tension at its border with Pakistan. “With the BJP coming to power, there was a possibility of heightened tension at the border,” he said. Mann said under Congress rule, farmers were offered a handsome minimum support price (MSP), whereas the Vajpayee government gave farmers minimal MSP. The
Congress made pro-farmer changes in the Land Acquisition Act to save them from land sharks, he said. Mann said the BKU could not support the communal agenda of
the BJP. He was accompanied by Baldev Singh Mianpur and other leaders of the
BKU.
Why they back party
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Political parties ignore poll code, put up hoardings in Sirhind
Fatehgarh Sahib, March 25 The posters of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi could be seen at various places in the town. Earlier, the municipal council officials had removed all the posters after Sekhri had directed all the political parties to remove the hoardings. However, the officials of the district administration and the municipal council have turned a blind eye to the new hoardings erected in the town. Executive Officer of the Sirhind Municipal Council said orders had been passed to remove these posters and added that an inquiry would also be held in this regard. Sub-divisional Magistrate Puja Syal said the matter had been brought to her knowledge and she had directed the civic body officials to remove the hoardings immediately. She alleged no prior permission had been granted to display the hoardings.
BKU (M) to support Cong
Chandigarh: The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) - Mann, will support the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections in the state. Union chief Bhupinder Mann today said the Congress had been sensitive to the issues concerning the farmer. Mann said they would not support the NDA due to its anti-farmer policies. Moreover, he said the state could not afford to have any kind of tension at its border with Pakistan. “With the BJP coming to power, there was a possibility of heightened tension at the border,” he said. Mann said under Congress rule, farmers were offered a handsome minimum support price (MSP), whereas the Vajpayee government gave farmers minimal MSP. The
Congress made pro-farmer changes in the Land Acquisition Act to save them from land sharks, he said.
Poll update
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Ashutosh Maharaj's death
As the case came up for resumed hearing, the High Court directed Advocate-General Ashok Aggarwal to file the state government's reply on the need for inquest proceedings. The purpose behind preparing an inquest report under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code is to look into, and draw up, a report on the apparent cause of death. The inquest report describes, among other things, wounds as may be found on the body. If injuries are found, it also states the manner in which the wounds could have been inflicted and the weapon or instrument used for inflicting the wounds. The directions came on a petition filed by Ashutosh Maharaj's former driver Puran Singh, seeking a CBI probe into the spiritual guru's death. The petition was filed less than a month after Justice MMS Bedi of the High Court made it clear to Puran Singh that he could approach the police station concerned for remedy, if he felt Ashutosh Maharaj had died an unnatural death. Puran Singh has all along contended that Ashutosh Maharaj is clinically dead, as per the status report of the Punjab Government and the doctors' certificate, and that his sudden death owing to cardiac arrest raises suspicion. Puran Singh had also filed a habeas corpus petition for Ashutosh Maharaj's release.
Ongoing row
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Most-wanted Bhana in touch with jail inmates
A senior police official confirmed to The Tribune that special teams, constituted to arrest the dreaded criminal and his accomplices, had been visiting several jails across the state to find clues to nab Bhana. “We have concrete information that Bhana is in touch with some of the notorious criminals lodged in various Punjab jails over mobile phone. These jail links may provide the policemen vital clues about his whereabouts. Jail superintendents have been alerted to keep tabs if any inmate or undertrail is found using mobile phone to interact with Bhana,” a senior police official said. It has been learnt that the police teams, among other prisons, have visited Kapurthala, Ropar and Hoshiarpur jails. A few criminals lodged in these jails too were reportedly questioned. The police, it is learnt, would soon visit the Amritsar jail. “It appears under-trials are deliberately providing false information about Bhana. We have raided several places following information from jailed criminals but to no avail,” said another police official. The police had also reportedly quizzed Bhana’s former girlfriend, but failed to find any clues. The police said raids were carried out in neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh. Police Commissioner Ishwar Singh said efforts were on to arrest Bhana and his accomplices. He confirmed that police teams had visited various jails in the state.
On criminal trail
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Woman, son killed, 30 injured in accident
Mandi Ahmedgarh, March 25 The victims, belonging to Buchkarh village in Jagraon subdivision, were on their way to pay
obeisance at the annual Jarag mela. The deceased were identified as Paramjit Kaur and her 24-year-old son Jaspreet Singh who got married a month ago. Among the injured were KIranjit Kaur, Rajvir Kaur, Pritam Kaur, Dewan Singh, Rupinder Kaur, Balvir Kaur, Amarjit Kaur, Bhavandeep Kaur, Inderpal Singh, Darshan Singh, Sukhjivan Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Gagandeep Kaur, Kewal Singh, Gagandeep Kaur, Veerpal Kaur, Kuldeep Singh, Lalli, Surinder Singh, Ranjit Kaur, Pritam Kaur, Dewan Singh Sidhwan, Amandeep Kaur, Chand Singh, Kuldeep Kaur, Paramjit Kaur, Prabhjot Kaur, Hardev Singh, Amarjit Kaur and Sandeep Singh. Sources said the driver lost control over the vehicle following a mechanical breakdown in its suspension. A number of residents from nearby villagers reached the spot and shifted the injured to the local Civil Hospital. Those with serious injuries were rushed to multispeciality hospitals in Ludhiana. The Dehlon police, which supervised the rescue operations were yet to register a case.
The mishap
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Thapar University students win programming contest
Patiala, March 25 The EC-Council presented a cash award of Rs 1 lakh to Rishabh Arora of Hoshiarpur, who stood first, and a cash prize of Rs 50,000 to the first runners-up, Akshay Mehra of Delhi, on the Thapar University campus on Tuesday. Students of Thapar University’s Computer Science and Engineering Department, Arora and Mehra attributed their success to the excellent skills and training imparted to them at the university. “Beating over 10,000 students from all over the country is a great feeling. We thank our teacher Dr Maninder Singh, who took a lot of pains to prepare us for the competition,” they said. An Associate Professor at Thapar University, Dr Maninder Singh specialises in network security. Congratulating the two students, Thapar University Director Prof Prakash Gopalan said, “We appreciate the zeal with which they competed. This year our performance will be even better. The university has always been encouraging students to excel in every sphere of life. Capacity building in the critical domain of information security is one of our key focus areas.” Recent reports by Symantec indicate a loss of $4 billion to India between August 2012 and July 2013 as a result of cyber crime. Frost and Sullivan report that nearly 80 per cent of Indian business enterprises have reported data theft through online hacking. The National Cyber Security Policy, 2013, aims to build a talent pool of 5 lakh information security experts by 2017.
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Albino pigeon spotted at Harike Wetland
Patiala, March 25 Dr Onkar Singh Brraich, Department of Zoology and Environmental Sciences, Punjabi University, Patiala, who spotted the bird, said sometimes albino birds might seem like a new species. “Albinism is an abnormality that occurs due to genetic mutation. This results in the absence of the enzyme, tyrosinase, which is essential for the synthesis of the melanin pigment in the body. Melanin imparts colour to skin, scales, hair, feathers, bill and eyes,” he said. Dr Brraich said the colourless eyes and skin give the birds a pinkish appearance as blood could be seen through the colourless tissues of the eyes and the skin. “Albino adult birds are very rarely seen as they stand out and become easy prey. Theses birds also have a poor eye sight,” he added.
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Drive to check cattle menace
Abohar, March 25 The menace had claimed at least 12 lives in the past two-three years. Gaushala president and former vice president of Municipal Council (MC) Faquir Chand Goyal
said a businessman, Surinder Batra, had donated Rs 2 crore for the
gaushala. Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rajpal Singh, who inaugurated the barracks, said villagers will be warned against deserting cattle here. Social activist Girdhari Lal of Malout lauded the gaushala management and the administration for dealing with the menace in a positive way. A team of experts led by Harbans Singh from Patiala State Government Farms launched the campaign with the help of the traffic police and the MC by catching stray cattle and taking them to the new gaushala. Project in charge Pramil Kalani said three acres of land had been arranged to extend the complex to house stray cattle. He said they would be categorised to check “bullying” and medical aid has also
been arranged. The first phase of the drive was carried out near vegetable market and Haqiqat Rai Chowk. A machine has been arranged from Bathinda to lift four cattle in one go to trolleys safely. Residents were sensitised against placing green feed on dividers for stray cattle as the practice had caused most of the mishaps.
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Extend cancer train’s route, demands NGO
Abohar, March 25 In a representation made today, the NGO said the Jodhpur-Bikaner-Abohar train, better known as the cancer train, should be extended from Abohar to Sriganganagar as no train runs in the Abohar-Sriganganagar section from 2-7 pm. They said hundreds of commuters had to pay heavy bus fares, besides facing inconvenience in overcrowded buses. The NGO also demanded that the Chandigarh-Ferozepur express train be extended to Abohar through Fazilka instead of keeping it parked at Ferozepur for more than seven hours.
— OC
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HC drops contempt charges against Union Ministry secy
Chandigarh, March 25 On February 28, the High Court had issued a contempt notice to the Secretary. A personal cost of Rs 25,000 was also imposed upon the secretary for non-compliance and non-appearance before this court. As the issue came up for resumed hearing, Gauri Kumar was present in person before the Bench of Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Harinder Singh Sidhu. Appearing on her behalf, Additional Solicitor-General of India Mohan Jain apprised the court that the contempt notice was issued for non-filing of the written statement and non-compliance of other directions issued from time to time. Jain also told the court that a written statement and reply had been filed. He also told the Bench that the delay in the filing of written statement was wholly unintentional, deeply regretted and was inevitable, in view of nature and content of the matter involved. The secretary also tendered her unconditional apology for delay in filing the written statement on behalf of Union of India. An affidavit to this effect was taken on record. After considering the arguments put forward by
Jain, the Bench discharged her from the contempt proceedings.
Case file
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Dalit woman ‘beaten’ up over property dispute
Abohar, March 25 Bimla’s husband's sister Kamla, too, sustained injuries as she tried to save
her from the miscreants, who were allegedly trying to molest her. Before fleeing, the accused allegedly took away cash and some documents from the victim’s house. Doctors in the Civil Hospital, Sriganganagar, said Bimla’s right leg was fractured and there were many injuries on her body. She alleged that the police had forced her to put thumb impressions on blank papers before shifting her to Suratgarh Civil Hospital, where doctors referred her to the Sriganganagar hospital. Bimla has sent complaints to the National Women Commission, Human Rights Commission and National Commission of SC/ST alleging that the police was under pressure to “dilute” the case as the accused had political links. They had allegedly given liquor to her husband and his brother and “attacked her with their consent" since she had opposed the sale of a part of a residential property. The miscreants had also razed the house to ground using a JCB machine despite her resistance. A deputation of human rights activists met district officials at Sriganganagar to press demand for investigation by any independent agency since the police was “under clout” in handling the case. Ramsinghpur police claimed that a team led by ASI Amar Singh had reached the village within an hour but the miscreants had fled by then. Deputy Superintendent of Police Deepak Sharma said the investigation was on as the case had to be processed under the SC/ST Act.
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Rape case: Girl’s family alleges police inaction
Gurdaspur, March 25 The victim, who had been ill for sometime, came in contact with the tantrik and his lady accomplice, who promised to cure her. The girl fell into the tantrik’s trap, following which he raped her. The police had booked the tantrik and the accomplice under Sections 376 (rape) and 354 (threatening) of the IPC. Police sources said the tantrik was also involved in extortion of money from a Mumbai-based woman, Rita D Souza, following which a criminal case had been lodged against him at the Malwani police station in Mumbai in August last year. The relatives alleged a powerful “Akali leader” was shielding the accused and had given instructions to the police to arrest him. Senior Superintendent of Police Sukhwant Singh Gill claimed that the police were under no political pressure. He said they were awaiting the report from a chemical laboratory at Kharar. “We have sent reminders to the Kharar laboratory to expedite the case. Once we receive the report we will proceed accordingly,” he said.
FIR was registered three months ago The family of a girl, who was allegedly raped by a “tantrik” of Fajupur village, alleged the Gurdaspur police were not arresting him despite the fact that an FIR was lodged against him over three months
ago.
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Five booked for abducting teenager
Tarn Taran, March 25 The accused have been identified as Jatinder Singh, his father Major Singh, mother Kamlesh Kaur , brother Vikramjit Singh and their relative Kabal Singh. The mother of the girl, a widow, in her statement to the police alleged that Jatinder wanted to marry her daughter and with the help of the other accused, had abducted her. Sources said some senior people in the locality were making efforts to work out a compromise.
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Opium worth Rs 9 lakh seized in Fazilka
Fazilka, March 25 The accused is Maghi Lal of Madhya Pardesh. In another incident, a police party intercepted a black Skoda car near Rajpura village and seized 5.25 kg opium from the two occupants of the car. The accused are Nanak Singh of Dalmir Khera village and Kulwinder Singh of Abohar town. In another incident, a police team arrested Surinder Singh of Kathgarh village and recovered 1 kg opium from the side bag of his bike.
— OC
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Gang of looters busted; 4 held
Tarn Taran, March 25 The accused have been booked under Sections 399, 402 of the IPC and 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act. Those arrested are Balwinder Singh Binder, gang chief, his brother Sulakhan Singh, son Lakhbir Singh besides Sohan Singh and Sohan’s son Harbans Singh. The gang members who are at large are Pargat Singh, Sukha Singh of Balehar village and Sanjeev Kumar of Bhikhiwind. Sub-Inspector Anil Kumar, who headed the police party, said the accused were holding a meeting on the outskirts of Jarmastpur village, 10 km from here, late last evening. Balwinder was carrying a 12-bore pistol and two live cartridges and his brother Sulakhan had a 47-AK bore pistol and two cartridges at the time of arrest. A datar and an iron rod too were seized from the arrested accused. The four gang members were produced before a judicial court, which sent then to a two-day police remand. The police said raids were being conducted to arrest gang members at large.
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Gurdaspur, March 25
Amritsar, March 25
Bhai Baldeep Singh is a visiting professor at the Department of Music, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. On his shift to politics, he said he had always wanted to work in a non-political space.
Muktsar, March 25
Humility alien to Amarinder: Jaitley
Chandigarh, March 25
Jalandhar, March 25