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Sikh leaders target Makkar
for ‘misleading’ community
Power Corp seeks tariff hike despite raking in profits
Houses can’t double as camp offices: Govt
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Police beat up pregnant woman
Govt defers paddy transplantation by five days
5-member panel to look into Cong rout
PPCC wants gag orders on Partap Bajwa baiters
Locals take to streets against drugs in Moga
Relief for Fazilka rail commuters
Police unclear about poll body directives on returning firearms
Govt wants exams from Class V onwards
Panchayat Dept told to identify unsafe classrooms
Fire in Patiala leaves labourer dead
Student’s body found; autopsy amid protest
BBMB removes vital info from website
AAP to protest Kejriwal’s arrest today
Muktsar DC directs officials to provide basic amenities
Ropar thermal plant’s faulty unit hits protest wall
Note-for-vote: Videos yet to be sent to EC
NRI body raises $3.3 lakh for needy students in state
Notice to state on liquor vends along highways
Dera Sacha Sauda head told to appear in court on Aug 8
Murder bid: Akali leader gets 7-yr jail
Cong leader held in dowry case
Car loaded with poppy husk gutted
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Sikh leaders target Makkar
for ‘misleading’ community
Former DSGMC president Paramjit Singh Sarna said he had a word with Daya Singh, Head Granthi of Nankana Sahib, who told him that the Sikh Sangat at the historic shrine had not approved the amended calendar as was being projected by the SGPC. He said Makkar merely addressed a gathering of Sikhs at Nankana Sahib, while accusing the SGPC chief of “misleading” the Sikh community. Moreover, he stated that the new body of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) was yet to be formed and therefore the question of the PSGPC taking any such decision didn’t arise. Terming Makkar a “failed head” of the premier institution of the Sikhs, the Dal Khalsa too lashed out at him for “misleading the Sikh diaspora on the issue of Nanakshahi Calendar and creating division” among members of the PSGPC. Reacting to the SGPC claim that the Sikh Sangat of Pakistan had given its approval to the amended version of the calendar, Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said Makkar and his team, who are on a tour to the neighbouring country, had “twisted the facts and played a political stunt”. He said that according to their UK chapter head and member of the advisory board of the PSGPC, Manmohan Singh, no such decision to lend support to the amended version had been taken by the Pakistani panel. “A desperate Makkar has cheated the Sikhs,” Kanwar Pal said, adding that the present SGPC chief, like his bosses (read Badals), was playing divisive politics over there. He wondered as to why the Badals were so desperate to convince the Pakistani gurdwara body to fall in line. He said the Sikh community was divided on the issue of Nanakshahi Calendar with Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh, the PSGPC, the AGPC and scores of socio-religio-political groups, including theirs, still sticking to the original version of 2003. The Dal Khalsa leader urged the Akal Takht Jathedar to build consensus on the issue instead of playing a partisan role. “The Jathedar should rise above the negative politics of Badals and play a positive role to stop further bickering within the community on this issue.” He said the so-called changes in the Nanakshahi Calendar had diluted the uniqueness of the Sikh almanac. Meanwhile, noted Sikh scholar Ashok Singh Bagarian has asked the Sikh leadership to clarify whether the amended Nanakshahi Calendar was based on solar charts or lunar charts.
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Power Corp seeks tariff hike despite raking in profits
Chandigarh, May 21 The PSPCL has earned a profit of Rs 272 crore in 2012-13 and Rs 700 crore in 2013-14. Besides, with the commission ordering a coal audit, there has been an annual saving of Rs 300 crore on fuel bill. The dominating view in the commission, the sources say, is to keep the hike to be minimal while some are of the view that there should be no tariff hike at all. The PSPCL’s annual revenue is Rs 22,755 crore. It wants to raise it to Rs 25,350 crore this fiscal year. The general view in the commission is that electricity should be affordable to all sections. The commission wants the PSPCL to focus on reducing the inefficiency level. On one hand, the PSPCL is claiming that the state will have surplus power and on the other, it has sought permission to buy power worth Rs 2,000 crore from outside sources. In the last 10 years since 2002-03, the increase in the power tariff has put a burden of Rs 10,105 crore on the consumers in the state. The average increase during the Capt Amarinder Singh’s tenure from 2002 to 2007 was 4 per cent that raked in Rs 434 crore per annum for the corporation. The hike during the SAD-BJP’s previous tenure (2007-12) was 7.33 per cent which had put a burden of Rs 4,250 crore per annum on the consumers. During 2012-14, the average hike was 10.57 per cent that generated additional revenue of Rs 1,841 crore per annum. Meanwhile, the new tariff order, which is implemented with effect from April 1 every year, has already been delayed due to parliamentary election. The PSERC is awaiting state government’s comments on the PSPCL’s petition. The government is required to give in writing to the commission if it wants to continue power subsidy to the farm sector and poor sections of society.
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Houses can’t double as camp offices: Govt
Chandigarh, May 21 The development followed instructions by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who demanded an immediate ban on the growing tendency among several officers to use their houses as camp offices. Now, officers will be required to function from their offices from 9 am to 5 pm on all working days. The government has asked all officials to vacate their official accommodation after the expiry of allotment period. Officers who fail to vacate the accommodation will be liable for non-disbursal of their salary. — TNS
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Police beat up pregnant woman
Mansa, May 21 The victim, Karamjit Kaur, was reportedly trying to rescue her younger brother from the police beating. The woman suffered gestational bleeding, following which she was admitted to the Primary Health Centre in Joga. From there, she was referred to the District Hospital in Mansa. The police, accompanying a kanungo, reached the village today for demarcation of a disputed piece of land involving the victim’s brother and a villager. In their complaint, the victim alleged that the kanungo demanded a bribe of Rs 20,000 from her family, which they failed to arrange. “As a result, the revenue official favoured the other party. When we lodged a protest, the police rained lathis on us,” she alleged. Senior Medical Officer Dr Nishan Singh said, “The victim suffered bleeding but her condition is stable.” la Station House Officer Jugraj Singh refused to comment. SSP Bikrampal Singh Bhatti said, “Action will be taken against the policemen if they are found guilty.”
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Govt defers paddy transplantation by five days
Chandigarh, May 21 The government has notified that no farmer in the state will be allowed to transplant non-basmati varieties before June 15. Earlier, the notified cut-off date was June 10. As for the basmati varieties, transplantion willstarts from July 5. Also, there was no cut-off date in case of basmati varieties. The Financial Commissioner (Development) has issued the notification in this regard. The decision has been made to improve the declining water table in the state. Moreover, the move will reduce the subsidy burden of the state government to some extent. The government pays about ~26-crore subsidy a day to provide free electricity to operate tube wells during the paddy season. With the postponement of paddy transplantation by five days, the government will save ~130 crore on subsidy account. Another reason for revising the transplantation schedule is the short duration non-basmati and basmati varieties developed by the PAU. Earlier, non-basmati varieties such as PR-109, PR-111 and PR-112 used to take 150 to 152 days to mature, while the new varieties such as PR-121, PR-122 and PR-123 take 140 days. Likewise, the popular basmati varieties such as 1509 take only 120 days to mature, whereas 1121 takes 140 days. “Farmers used to transplant basmati varieties early, especially in the potato belt. Owing to this, it used to mature early even before the onset of winter. This affected basmati’s quality, especially its aroma,” said Kahan Singh Pannu, Secretary, Agriculture. “Since the transplantation schedule starts from July 5, the basmati varieties will mature for harvesting by October-end. By that time, winter sets in. The cold conditions will help to improve quality of the produce, particularly its aroma, and, thus, its rating in the international market,” Pannu said. He said the rescheduling of the transplantation period was a well-thought decision taken after a prolonged discussion with institutions associated with agriculture.
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5-member panel to look into Cong rout
New Delhi, May 21 Sources in the Congress confirmed to The Tribune that a decision had been taken by the central leadership to name Col Dhani Ram Shandil, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister in Himachal Government, as head of the five-member probe committee, which is in the process of being set up. Shandil is a former two-term Shimla MP. He was appointed chairman of the Punjab fact finding committee late this evening. Sources said the remaining four members would also be from outside Punjab. “We took a conscious decision to have all the members from outside the state. This was important to ensure independence in probe to keep personal and political influences at bay. We will consult the committee chairman before naming the remaining four members. But they will be from states other than Punjab. We will ask the committee to submit its report in 15 days,” said Shakeel Ahmed, AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab. The decision to set up state-wise committees to probe Congress’ poll losses came at the recent Congress Working Committee meeting where all leaders called for accountability at state level. In Punjab, where the Congress was expecting a good performance, it was shaken by the performance of AAP and the fact that many of its MPs failed to secure votes even in segments where the party had sitting legislators. “The probe committee will be asked to deliberate in detail on the Congress-held Assembly segments where our candidates failed to do well. This is a serious development and should not have taken place. Naturally there is some problem somewhere. An impartial committee will submit its report after which corrective action will be taken,” Shakeel Ahmed said.
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PPCC wants gag orders on Partap Bajwa baiters
Chandigarh, May 21 The PPCC has sought immediate intervention by the high command through instructions to such leaders. Disciplinary panel chairman Gopal Krishan Chatrath said, “We have faced the worst-ever drubbing. Instead of looking for a correction course, our leaders are indulging in petty politics and mud-slinging.” Chatrath said everybody had the right to express their differences, but only at the right platform within the party. He said as part of an ongoing exercise on preparing a report on the poll losses, he would also mention such disciplinary issues. “We have gathered details of the party standing in all Vidhan Sabha seats vis-à-vis parliamentary segments. Each MLA will be held accountable,” he said. Patiala: PPCC vice-president Brahm Mohindra today urged Bajwa and Capt Amarinder Singh factions to exercise restraint and show solidarity with the high command. “It’s not the time for blame game but to get united. It’s payback time for every Congressman,” he said.
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Locals take to streets against drugs in Moga
Moga, May 21 The protests have begun in the villages of Nihalsinghwala and Baghapurana sub-divisions. The youths in the villages falling under these sub-divisions are most affected by drug addiction. Hundreds of women, along with activists of various trade unions, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act workers’ union, BKU, Khet Mazdoor Union and others protested against drug abuse at Bilaspur, one of the biggest villages of this district, on Tuesday. They raised slogans against the SAD-BJP Government, alleging that the Akali leadership was “patronising the inflow of drugs”. Women pledged that they would take upon themselves the responsibility of making their village free from drugs, which were ruining the lives of youths. “It is high time that women of Punjab should come out and take the responsibility of waging a war against drugs because for the past many years, we have been helplessly watching our younger generation falling prey to drugs,” said Harjinder Kaur, a protester. The protesters also asked the district administration to shut down the temporary liquor vend being run in a tent on the highway in Bilaspur village. Jeewan Singh, member of the Khet Mazdoor Union, said they would soon form vigilance committees with the help of the local people in all the villages to check the smuggling of drugs. The protesters further alleged that “white powder” (a chemical drug) was easily available in villages due to the “patronisation of the Akali leadership”. They said if the government fails to take steps to curb the illegal sale of drugs, they would intensify their stir.
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Relief for Fazilka rail commuters
Abohar, May 21 Kataria confirmed the same over phone and said he had meetings with Railway Board chairman Arunendra Kumar and Executive Director (Coaching) S Guha to recall that the tri-weekly Sarai Rohilla train was inaugurated by him on January 6, 2011. The then Prime Minister had later intervened to ensure its daily run besides the halt at Abohar. As the Udyan Abha Toofan Mail train had been running late by six to eight hours on a regular basis and remained suspended due to fog for 75 days during extreme winter, the Sarai Rohilla train gave much relief to commuters in Fazilka district. Kataria countered the impression that the train's halt at Abohar was not viable and asserted that it earned sufficient revenue.
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Police unclear about poll body directives on returning firearms
The EC guidelines provide for returning the firearms to the licence holders a week after the results are declared. But the police in several districts have made their own rules. The Ludhiana police have been telling its licensees that the weapons would be returned after the new government is formed at the Centre. As for the Nawanshahr and Kapurthala police, they are awaiting instructions from the Deputy Commissioner’s office regarding it. The Jalandhar Commissionerate, for its part, has started returning the weapons. The Jalandhar (rural) police, on the other hand, have decided that the weapons would be returned after May 28 as part of “precautionary measures”. It’s not just this time that the Punjab Police have apparently faltered on the issue of weapons. At the time of collecting weapons ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, they overruled the EC guidelines in this regard. Oblivious to the EC’s directions on collecting weapons, the police threatened arms licensees of legal action if they failed to deposit their weapons with them. The police order was contrary to the EC directions, as per which a screening committee has to be formed to review the case of each arms licensee. A list of three categories of persons is made — those on bail, those having a history of criminal offence and those involved in rioting at any time — and then notices are issued to them to recover weapons. Imposing compulsions on all licensees, the Punjab Police managed to collect nearly 2,74 lakh firearms that were kept in police stations and gun houses. The owners of gun houses illegally charged fees for keeping weapons. Nawanshahr Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dhanpreet Kaur said, “The instructions to deposit firearms came from the DC’s office. The directions to release the arms are also expected from the same channel.” Jalandhar DCP Tulsi Ram said he did not have any written instruction from the EC about when to release the weapons. “Since the mode code of conduct has been lifted, the police have started releasing the weapons,” he said. Mukhwinder Singh, Superintendent of Police (headquarters), Jalandhar rural, said: “We have been instructed to release the weapons after May 28, so we will go by it.” Amrik Singh Dhammi, SP (headquarters), Kapurthala, said the police would start returning weapons after receiving the DC’s instructions. He, too, was unaware about the EC instructions on the release of firearms. Chief Electoral Officer VK Singh was not clear on the matter. “The elections are over and so is the role of the Election Commission. It is up to the Punjab Police when to release the weapons.”
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Govt wants exams from Class V onwards
Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka said: “The system of not holding examinations for primary and middle classes has failed. We will take up the matter with the new government at the Centre.” Echoing similar views, Aam Aadmi Party MP from Faridkot Prof Sadhu Singh said: “Examinations for schoolchildren are a must in our education system. I will take up the issue at the appropriate level.” Maluka said: “Class IX has virtually become an entry level to school for a sizable number of students who never studied. They have just been promoted year after year. Earlier too, we had pointed out loopholes in the existing system to the Centre, but to no avail. We will argue our case once again.” Vijay Kumar, principal, Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Nangal, said: “It is sad that the Indian Government has succumbed to the World Bank pressure on introducing a western concept in our education system. The dropout rate has not gone down as was claimed in different reports.” A sub-committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education, in its report to the Centre, had rejected the existing system of passing all students up to Class VIII irrespective of their performance. The sub-committee has favoured regular exams for students of Class V onwards. Education experts, however, say that even if education is on the concurrent list, it is the prerogative of
the Centre to take a final decision.
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Panchayat Dept told to identify unsafe classrooms
Chandigarh, May 21 As the issue of unsafe buildings came up for resumed hearing, Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Arun Palli ordered that the Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayats, be impleaded a respondent in the PIL filed by advocate HC Arora. He told the court that a status report earlier filed by the Education Department did not mention that the school was under the Panchayti Raj Department. In his application, Arora claimed he inspected eight such schools in the Machhiwara block of Ludhiana district and located 18 unsafe classrooms. He stated there were more than 100 blocks in Punjab, and apparently a large number with unsafe classrooms in schools run by the Panchayati Raj Department. He also enclosed photographs of unsafe classrooms, as well as filthy toilets. The next date of hearing is August 1.
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Fire in Patiala leaves labourer dead
Patiala, May 21 Eyewitnesses claimed the fire spread rapidly and the kiosks were burnt within 15 minutes. By the time the fire tenders reached the spot, the kiosks were gutted. Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Gurpal Singh Chahal and newly elected Patiala MP Dr Dharamvir Gandhi also reached the site to take stock of the situation. Shopkeepers claimed the total loss was estimated at Rs 20 lakh. The SDM said Vikram was sleeping under the sheds and didn’t get a chance to escape. He said the administration was investigating the matter. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal ordered an inquiry into the incident. He directed Deepinder Singh, Secretary, Punjab Mandi Board, to ascertain the cause of the fire.
Badal also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased. Tarvir Singh, president of the sabzi mandi, staged a protest and demanded compensation for the deceased’s family, and the affected kiosk owners. He also demanded that the state Mandi Board immediately allot all the plots so that shops could be built. This is the first AC market to have been built in the Malwa region at a cost of Rs 25 crore. Around 175 plots are to be allotted in the air-conditioned sabzi mandi, but the Mandi Board has allotted only 25 shops till now. As a result, many shopkeepers have set up temporary kiosks under the sheds.
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Student’s body found; autopsy amid protest
Ferozepur, May 21 Deputy Commissioner Manjit Singh Narang, who supervised the rescue operations, said he had constituted a three-member medical board to conduct the post-mortem. He said an NDRF squad had been summoned to trace the other missing BDS intern. Meanwhile, parents and relatives of the deceased students continued their protest for the second day. ADC begins probe
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BBMB removes vital info from website
Patiala, May 21 The All India Power Engineers’ Federation has shot off a letter to the Union Power Secretary, demanding that the deleted sections on the website be restored. Padamjit Singh, the chief patron of the federation, said the move was regressive and that the functioning of the
BBMB would no longer be transparent. “Four out of the six units at Dehar power plant have not been functional since March 26. But with the information removed from the website, the extent of the loss could not be estimated. The management has roughly been losing 160 MW daily,” he said. He said that removing data from the BBMB website was not the solution to unit outages that caused losses of up to Rs 3 crore per day at Dehar. The federation demanded that the Power Minister direct the BBMB to take time-bound steps to restore the two units at Dehar. AB Agrawal, who is the chairman of the BBMB, could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
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AAP to protest Kejriwal’s arrest today
Chandigarh, May 21 The party has given a call to its supporters to hold peaceful dharnas and marches in all districts tomorrow. Kejriwal was sent to jail following his refusal to furnish a bail bond in connection with a defamation case filed against him by former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari. AAP leader Manjit Singh said party activists would hold dharnas at all district headquarters. He said activists had been requested not to cause any inconvenience to the public.
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Muktsar DC directs officials to provide basic amenities
Muktsar, May 21 “After one week, I will take rounds of the town to ask public their problems. So, the officials have been given one week’s time to perform and bring results. Strict action will be taken against those who fail to perform,” he said. He further directed the executive officer of the Municipal Council, executive engineer of Water Supply and Sanitation wing, executive engineer of the Public Works Department (roads and buildings) and executive engineer of the Mandi Board to restart works pending because of the election code. However, during the meeting, officials blamed each other for lack of cooperation. Municipal Council elections are due to be held shortly.
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Ropar thermal plant’s faulty unit hits protest wall
Ropar, May 21 The unit could not be repaired due to engineers’ protest. The PSEB Engineers’ Association has asked its members not to work beyond the working hours in protest against a Punjab Government’s decision to raise the retirement age of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), and Directors of the PSPCL from 62 years to 65. Its demands include notification of the common recruitment and cadre of the PSPCL and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL), streamlining engineers’ workload, effecting distribution reforms and setting up a 1,320-MW thermal power plant in the state sector. Sources said the thermal power plant’s unit number one tripped at 1.40 am due to a snag in the air-free heater. The maintenance engineers, however, reached the spot at 9 am. The fault could not be rectified by 5 pm, the time engineers’ duty hours end. Since they are adamant on not working beyond the duty hours, they will resume the repair work tomorrow. The engineers said a unit generated 2 lakh units per hour, costing nearly ~5 lakh. Association joint secretary Niranjan Singh and secretary Sanjeev Jain Regional said that if the state government failed to meet their demands and requirements of the power sector, the agitation would be intensified.
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Note-for-vote: Videos yet to be sent to EC
Muktsar, May 21 In his report, Rambir Singh, who is also the ADC (D) proposed that before coming to a conclusion, both videos should be sent to a forensic expert to confirm their authenticity. Additional CEO Raminder Singh said: “In spite of asking the District Electoral Officer, Muktsar, twice to send us the videos, we are yet to receive them.” — TNS
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NRI body raises $3.3 lakh for needy students in state
Washington, May 21 Sikh Human Development Foundation (SHDF) organised a fund raising programme which was attended by Sikh-Americans from across the US. The chief guest of the event, Surender Singh Kandhari, a Dubai-based business tycoon, announced a donation of $1 lakh. “Education is the most important treasure that any young man can possess and we are privileged to be in a position to help those in need in Punjab. It is our duty to do so. Good education helps in breaking the cycle of poverty. Giving is a virtue and it is a blessing that we are being asked to give," he said. “This is also the largest donation ever collected by the diaspora community for higher education for students in Punjab. In Indian currency, this is a little over Rs 2 crore. And this certainly will have a significant impact on the future of Punjab," said Dr Rajwant Singh, outreach director of the Foundation. The foundation has so far provided 3,418 scholarships, including 537 for the current academic year. "More than 1,100 of these children have already graduated and become doctors, engineers, scientists, computer, experts and the like. Many are working in companies like IBM, Microsoft, Infosys, Indian Space Center and other good companies," said foundation's chairman Gajinder Singh
Ahuja. — PTI
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Notice to state on liquor vends along highways
Taking up the matter, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Arun Palli asked the state government to file a reply in this regard by July 22. The developments took place during the resumed hearing of a petition filed in public interest filed by Chandigarh-based NGO Arrive Safe Society through its president Harman Singh Sidhu. Appearing before the Bench, the counsel for the petitioner contended that the state government had not complied with the court orders passed on March 18. The High Court on a previous date of hearing had directed the states to explicitly mention that “liquor shops would not be set up along the national and state highways” in their next excise policies. The states were also directed to present their excise policies before the High Court by today. The High Court had made it clear that the joint survey would be carried by Deputy Excise Commissioners in Punjab and Excise Commissioners in Haryana. Taking a serious note on the mushrooming of liquor vends along the national highways, the High Court had on September 13 last year directed the NHAI, the states of Punjab and Haryana, along with Chandigarh, to form a committee. The panel was asked to look into the issue of removing the liquor vends along the national highways. For the purpose, the committee was asked to conduct a survey to identify the liquor vends required to be removed. The licence holder of such liquor vends would get compensation or refunds of the amount deposited with the state government.
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Dera Sacha Sauda head told to appear in court on Aug 8
Bathinda, May 21 The orders, by Chief Judicial Magistrate Raman Kumar, were issued in the presence of Sikh supporters and Dera ‘premis’ (activists) amidst tight security. A case was registered against Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly wearing a dress resembling the ones worn by Guru Gobind Singh at a congregation in Dera Salabatpura in Bathinda on May 20, 2007. Interestingly, the court summon was issued exactly seven years after the registration of the case today. The court had passed similar orders two years ago as well. The Dera head, however, had then moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He had maintained that he could not be summoned to the court as the police had failed to present its ‘challan’ within three years of the registration of the case. The case was registered under Sections 295-A, 298 IPC and 153-A of the IPC. The complainants, Baba Hardeep Singh and Rajinder Sidhu, however, had contended that under sub-sections of Section 153-A, a person could be summoned till five years. The Dera head’s lawyers said they would approach a higher court against the summons.
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Murder bid: Akali leader gets 7-yr jail
Faridkot, May 21 The police had given a clean chit to the leader six years ago and had declined to register an FIR against him. The victim, Jaswinder Singh, had moved court, accusing Pritam of opening fire at him to forcibly take possession of his land. Pritam is circle jathedar of the Kotkapura (rural) Assembly segment in Faridkot. Jaswinder said the accused attacked him in July 2008 while he was irrigating his fields. He alleged the accused ploughed his standing cotton crop to take possession of his land and when their move was resisted, they fired at him. Kulwant Singh, one of the accused, had died during the hearing of the case while another accused Gurpreet Singh has absconded.
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Cong leader held in dowry case
Amritsar, May 21 The police took Maninder Singh to Ludhiana and produced him in a local court there, which remanded him in police custody till May 24. Heera’s daughter-in-law Sonia has lodged a dowry harassment complaint against him and her husband Gagandeep Singh. Sonia is the daughter of former Congress MLA Malkiat Singh Birmi, who recently joined the Shiromani Akali Dal. Heera’s wife Vajinder Kaur and his other son Bikramdeep Singh have also been named in the FIR, registered at the Sarabha Nagar police station in Ludhiana. The complainant alleged that soon after she tied the knot with Gagandeep Singh, the latter started torturing her for not bringing “adequate dowry”. She alleged that she was subjected to physical and mental agony by her husband and in-laws. Sonia alleged that Gagandeep was demanding a car worth over Rs 80 lakh. She alleged that when the demand was not met, her husband and in-laws deserted her.
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Car loaded with poppy husk gutted
Abohar, May 21 The vehicle and poppy husk bags worth about Rs 10 lakh had perished by the time fire could be doused, witnesses said. Preliminary investigations indicate that the driver lost control over the vehicle and its occupants fled fearing arrest. A case has been registered against unknown people. — OC
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Moga, May 21
Patiala, May 21
Bathinda, May 21
Amritsar, May 21
June 15 
We took a conscious decision to have all the members of the committee from outside the state. This was important to ensure independence in probe to keep personal and political influences at
bay
Jalandhar May 21
Chandigarh, May 21
The system of not holding examination for primary and middle classes 
Chandigarh, May 21