Bathinda, April 13
At times when gun-toting security guards translate into the political status of a candidate contesting the elections, five of the 29 candidates in fray for the Lok Sabha elections have refused security cover for guarding their lives.

The Congress-PPP joint candidate Manpreet Singh Badal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Jassi Jasraj and Shaminder Singh of the National Panthers Party are among the candidates who have refused to have gun-toting security guard walking besides them 24X7 every day.

Besides, the independent candidates Swaran and Ashish Kumar have also refused security cover. Except for the Congress, all the others have given in writing to the district police chief refusing a security cover.

As per the rules of the Election Commission of India (ECI), there are separate rules for the independents and candidates from recognised and unrecognised parties. Candidates contesting elections are given security cover on the basis of threat perception.

Currently, the unrecognised parties and independent candidates have two constables each deployed with them. However, the woman candidate of the Akhil Bharatiya Shiv Sena Rashtravadi, Geeta Rani, has three policemen deployed with them. This includes a woman cop and two men.

Candidates are given security cover from the day they file their nomination except in the case of Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who is an incumbent Member of Parliament from the seat and has separate arrangements for security.

Congress-PPP candidate Manpreet Badal’s secretary Jasbir Singh said the police had sent a Gypsy and a few policemen for his security but it was refused.

“We did not ask for any security cover as we do not need it. Manpreet stands by his principles and does not require security guards,” he said.

At the same time, the party has also not given it in writing to the police that it does not require a security cover stating that it had not asked for security in the first place.

AAP candidate Jassi Jasraj’s brother Arvinder Singh said the party has refused in to take any security cover in writing.

SSP Bathinda Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the list of candidates who have refused the security cover has been duly submitted to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab. “Not taking any chances, we have asked the respective DSPs to toghten patrolling and increase police dominance in areas where these candidates move,” he said.

Bhullar added that officials of the intelligence agency have also been asked to keep an eagle’s eye on people around these candidates.

Interestingly, one of the independent candidate, Sushil Jindal said it was not an easy task to put up with security personnel round-the-clock. “Since they have to be with the candidate all the time, it sometimes becomes a pain in the neck. They eat and sleep at our place only,” he claimed. 

Bathinda, April 13
Taranjit Singh (32) has spent the last two months doing only two things —remembering his daughter Ruth and keeping his fingers crossed — to hear about the news of a government job coming his way.

Taranjit was promised a government job according to his educational qualification as part of the agreement which the state government had reached with the AIE-EGS teachers who had launched a massive protest in Bathinda after Singh’s 14-month-old daughter Ruth succumbed to her ailment. His wife Kiranjit Kaur, also an EGS teacher, had also taken part in the dharna.

Taranjit, who was in Bathinda today to offer prayers during a Sunday mass, said, “I wonder why the government is taking too long to provide me with the job that it had promised on February 9. While a cheque of Rs 5 lakh compensation was handed over to me on the same day, I was told that I would be given a government job within a week. But I am still waiting for the offer.”

He added that he had met the Chief Minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal twice since then but the CM told him that his hands were tied because of the imposition of model code of conduct and that the file containing his documents had been submitted.

“The agreement was reached on February 9, while the model code of conduct was imposed on March 7. While I was promised that I would be given a job within a week, nothing happened for a month. If the government is willing to give me a job, it can still do the same as the orders were passed before the implementation of the code of conduct,” he said.

While the family donated 10 per cent of the Rs 5 lakh compensation which it got after it lost its younger daughter, Taranjit also spent a part of the money on buying him a brand new motorcycle. “Kiranjit has been posted at a school in Malke village and thinking that I may also be posted at the same or a nearby school, I bought a motorcycle to ease our conveyance problems. The rest of the money is in a bank,” he said.

Ruth’s elder sister Ribkah, a student of Class II, hardly expresses what she feels. “We are grown ups and we cry whenever we think of our daughter. But Ribkah is too young to express the loss. Earlier, she used to ask us about Ruth. Now, she just says “Ruth amar rahe (Long live, Ruth),” Singh said.

When asked if, as an afterthought, the family now wondered how the end would have been different had they not taken their daughter to the dharna site, Singh said, “Those were spur-of-the-moment decisions. She was dependent on mother’s feed and hence, Kiranjit couldn’t have left her at home. Instead of thinking of how things could have been different, we think that while leaving this world, she gave jobs to 8,000 teachers who pray for her soul now,” he said.

Bathinda, April 13
The postal ballots for the April 30 Lok Sabha elections are being dispatched to the service voters. In a press release issued here today, the District Election Officer (DEO) Kamal Kishore Yadav stated that general observer Dilip Kumar Wasnikar has reviewed the arrangements made for sending the postal ballots.

Wasnikar said that 6,481 ballot papers are being sent to the service voters related to the Army. The ballot papers will be sent to the Army unit record officer as registered parcels who will ensure that the postal ballot papers are sent to respective service voters.

He also conducted a second randomisation of the polling parties and allotted them respective assembly constituencies. The first-level randomisation of micro-observers was also conducted.

Wasnikar said that efforts were being made to check violations of the model code of conduct. He appealed to the public to report any kind of violation on his mobile phone number 8427531627.

He has also conducted checking of the polling booths at the assembly constituencies of Lambi, Bathinda urban and Bathinda rural. 

Bathinda, April 13
She was in the business of beautifying people with a roaring business of a beauty parlour. But fierce denial to her brother-in-law's advances made her an acid-attack victim and she lost her beauty, forever.

It was the chilling evening of January 31 when a cup of acid was poured on the head of Amanpreet Kaur, who was 23-years-old at that time. Three years gone and she still feels the burning sensation that went down her spine that day.

Since then, Amanpreet has undergone 29 different surgeries in Bathinda, Ludhiana and Chennai hospitals, that have cost her around Rs 30 lakh. Despite the tall claims of extending help to the acid attack victims, the state government gave a cheque for a mere Rs 25,000 through the District Red Cross Society.

"While my wife and daughter would look after the beauty parlour, my younger son had a photo studio at the rear of the bus stand. We used to earn Rs 1 lakh a month during the peak wedding season when people turn up in large numbers at the beauty parlour and photo studio," said victim's father Kirtan Singh. His daughter opened the beauty parlour after completing the beautician’s course at the age of 19.

The family had to sell off their shop, beauty parlour and then their house for the girl’s treatment. The family now resides in a rented accommodation on the Power House Road adjoining St Xavier's Primary School.

Amanpreet had rebuked her brother-in-law for making advances towards her while her elder sister was on a family visit. In a fit of rage, the brother-in-law then threw acid on Amanpreet while she was returning from her parlour with her mother.

The accused was booked by the police but managed to come out of jail within little time. He, now, roams free while the victim and her family has to make rounds of the district courts for the hearing of the case.

"We still require at least Rs 6 to Rs 7 lakh for five to six more surgeries after which, Amanpreet would be able to see herself in mirror with negligible scars," the father said. “We were not shaken but grounded completely by the attacker's family who convinced them to sent back their elder daughter to the attacker's home so that one of their daughters could lead her normal life by forgiving her husband. But that too boomeranged and the boy's family pressurised us to reach a compromise in the court. My elder daughter was sent back to us with false allegations of stealing jewellery," the father said.

He pointed out that since then, they decided to leave everything to god's will and carried out with whatever resources and help they could. "Repeated rounds to meet the ruling party leaders and government servants too failed to provide us any help," said the father.

The family now looks upon the NGOs, religious organisations and the NRIs to seek their help in arranging the rest of the amount for the remaining surgeries.

Bathinda, April 13
The Adarsh School Teachers’ Union has decided to paste and distribute anti-government posters in the state. In a meeting held here today, state president of the union, Deepak Grover said the union had taken the decision in view of the government's indifference to its demands.

He said while on the one hand, the candidates of the SAD-BJP alliance were making tall promises to the people to cast their votes in its favour, on the other, the government was not serious in solving problems of the employees.

He said the union would soon release a poster to spread awareness about how the government had overlooked the interests of its employees and ignored welfare schemes. He said the posters would be distributed across the state.

He said the distribution drive would begin from the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat, where the fight is between SAD-BJP candidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Congress-PPP-CPI candidate Manpreet Singh Badal.

He threatened the state government that the teachers were unhappy and several unions had decided to work against the wishes of the SAD-BJP alliance candidates in the elections.

Also present in the meeting were general secretary of the union Harpreet Singh, vice-presidents Bhagat Singh and Gurinder Singh, Moga unit president Pawan Kumar and others.

Bathinda, April 13
Work on providing a solution to the frequent flooding on the Bibiwala Road has begun. Under the project, a new pipe is being laid in an area of around 25 feet, connecting it to the main sewer that runs till Fauji Chowk.

Being laid at a cost of Rs 2 lakh, the project was started during the model code of conduct. However, Assistant Municipal Commissioner Kamal Kant Goyal said it was approved before the model code came into effect.

Earlier, the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) had decided to connect this portion of the sewer with the main sewer towards the ICICI bank. “However, that stretch had a network of underground cables of various public utilities, especially the telecom sector. We then decided to use an old sewer system that was not functional,” he said.

The MCB repaired this old sewer and made it functional. Now, pipes are being laid in an area of around 250 feet. It would take around 20 days to complete the work. The stretch of the Bibiwala Road has always been a nightmare, especially during the rainy days, when the rain water and sewage spill on to the road creating problems for the commuters. 

Bathinda, April 13
Search for a perfect yummy taste of sweet blended chocolates comes to an end at Bhawani Mishthan Bhandar in the city. Situated on the Bibiwala Road in Bharat Nagar, this place is full of different varieties of sweet and salty edibles.

Apart from Bengali sweets, the customers visit here to taste khoya dry fruit baati and chocolate kaju.

“These are indeed the most sought after dishes, which are equally enjoyed by the elderly, the young and kids. One would surely not resist despite his or her tummy filled to the brim,” says the shop’s owner, Rajinder.

In the business of making sweets and namkeen for the past 15 years, Rajinder is famous for introducing new dishes to his customers that are different from the usual ones in taste and looks.

“I visited Kolkata a couple of years ago from where I bought the khoya dry fruit baati. I mixed a few locally available ingredients and flavours to obtain a taste, which is not available everywhere,” Rajinder said.

He claims that the dish with a different taste, which he prepared, is not available elsewhere in or around the city. Khoya baati is prepared with khoya, milk and other flavours by a group of workers, he especially roped in to prepare these sweets.

Though it seems a bit expensive as khoya dry fruit baati costs Rs 400 per kg while one could obtain the chocolate kaju for Rs 600 per kilogram.

“But it is worth the taste. The chocolate kaju is a perfect dish to serve after lunch or dinner,” Rajinder said. He added that the sale of his dishes had always been satisfactory ever since he put them on display one and a half years ago.

With the Cantonment area and Bibiwala Chowk close to the shop, Army officials and their families usually visit the shop to taste their favourite sweets or namkeen items.

Apart from the sweets, other variety of dishes are also available at the shop. With parking and cleanliness hardly any issue for the customers, the shop witness a rush of customers even during the lean hours.

Bathinda, April 13
Strawberry Fields playway school organised a function on its premises to celebrate the festival of Baisakhi. The tiny-tots, dressed in the traditional attire of Punjab, participated in the function. The students had fun as they danced to some foot-tapping Punjabi numbers. The school management apprised the students of the reason behind celebrating the festival and its importance in the life of a farmer.

The Mata Jivi Nagar branch of Bachpan playway school also organised a function to celebrate the festival. The function was held in two parts. In the morning session, the students were taken to the fields in the nearby areas where they were shown the standing wheat crop and tubewells.

In the evening, a fancy dress competition was organised for the students. The toddlers added colour to the function as they dressed in traditional clothes as fairies and superheroes and walked on the ramp with their parents.

Bathinda, April 13
The police today arrested one person for robbery and murder in the ancestral village of Punjab Education Minister Sikandar Singh Maluka. In a press release issued by SSP Gurpreet Bhullar, it was stated that a shopkeeper, Durga Das, was found murdered at his residence on the intervening night of April 7 and 8.

The accused in police custody in Bathinda on Sunday. A tribune photograph

He was killed using a sharp-edged weapon and Rs 10,000 in cash and a mobile phone were reported missing.

A team of SP (D) Swaran Khanna and DSP Gurmel Singh was formed to look into the issue and to reach into the depth of the case.

During the investigation, the police zeroed in on a 28-year-old drug addict of the same village. The accused has been identified as Kala Singh. He was questioned by the police during which he admitted to having killed the shopkeeper.

The accused confessed that he scaled the boundary wall of the victim’s house on that night to steal something to purchase drugs. The house owner, however, got up while he tried to break open the lock. The accused said that he strangulated the shopkeeper and slit his throat using a sickle.

The police have also recovered the remaining Rs 5,000 from the possession of the accused along with the mobile phone, a bag of sugar and a purse of the victim.