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PSPCL bows to coal supplier’s demands, supply set to begin
Illegal hoardings dot Muktsar, yet no action by authorities
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Paltry, irrational waterlogging relief dampens spirit of farmers
Akhand Path to mark 30th anniversary of Bluestar begins
No rift, claims Shanta Kumar
post-poll
analysis by sad
SAD dissolves NRI wings
punjab’s
drug menace-IV
Youth Akali Dal leader quizzed
Jail official dismissed in drug case
Chemist shops a major source of narcotics, says HC
80% force addicted, claim cops sent to de-addiction centre
Activists lambast state govt for water pollution
Corporation status sought for Batala
Four birs of Guru Granth Sahib gutted
SGPC wary of RSS activities in state
Farmers’ suicide: Panel to suggest remedial steps
Date for paddy transplant preponed
Engg students catch teacher ‘writing’ classmate’s paper
A Maluka confidant, Vinod Kumar was in trouble again
Five of family found dead
Farmer kills wife, two kids
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PSPCL bows to coal supplier’s demands, supply set to begin
Patiala, June 4 A compromise was reached between the two sides after the PSPCL agreed to provide Rs 6-crore interest-bearing advance on daily basis and an ad hoc advance of Rs 100 per tonne to Panem, which supplies coal from Punjab's own captive mines. The PSPCL management has claimed that "the decision will entail no financial burden on the consumers" in the state. Sources say the decision to support ad hoc advance of Rs 100 per tonne beyond the provisions of the coal purchase agreement dated August 30, 2006, was not justified. "The per-tonne payment may affect the liquidity position of the PSPCL. The financial advisers had earlier pointed out that the non-availability of Panem coal might result in additional requirement of funds to the tune of Rs 231.17 crore. The amount would be difficult to arrange unless equivalent support was received from the state government or it was allowed to be met through tariff hike by the PSERC," a top official said. PSPCL CMD KD Chaudhri, who had been avoiding a direct interaction with the media so far, said in a press note that the normal coal supply would resume soon. "The PSPCL has made sufficient arrangements for power. With increased hydel power generation this year, there will be no shortage of power during the paddy-sowing season. We are committed to ensure eight-hour supply to farmers and there will be no power cuts this summer, except the outages due to maintenance or fault, if any," he said. Hopeful of receiving the coal supply, the PSPCL today made functional all four thermal units at Lehra and one at Bathinda. At Ropar, four units are functional while two (No. 4 and 5) are non-functional. The Bathinda, Lehra and Ropar thermal plants have coal stocks for 12, 12 and 28 days, respectively. A senior PSPCL official said, "If this was to be done, why the PSPCL took so much of time. The state had to buy costly power due to this delay. The PSPCL is responsible for the financial losses of around 50 crore ever since the coal supply was curtailed."
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Illegal hoardings dot Muktsar, yet no action by authorities
Muktsar, June 4 This despite the fact
that Harsimrat is yet to make her public appearance in Muktsar after her victory. A visit to Malout, Gidderbaha towns today revealed that the situation was similar everywhere. However, no action has been taken against those defying the norms of
the Public Property Defacement Act. This practice is also causing losses to the
business of those who have taken the advertisement sites on contract basis from the state government. Pictures of senior leaders of the SAD-BJP alliance have been displayed on these hoardings installed on electricity poles, walls and trees. This is not the first
time that such hoardings have been put up but these hardly get the “attention” of the officials concerned. Even the posters, stickers pasted by the political outfits during the election campaign are dotting almost every nook and corner here. The walls of police stations too have not
been spared. Earlier, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the district administration many times to act tough against such violators. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal himself had a number of times directed officials in the past to remove illegal hoardings and collect fine from defaulters. However, neither the political activists nor the district administration are showing any interest on the ground in this case.
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Paltry, irrational waterlogging relief dampens spirit of farmers
Gurusar (Gidderbaha), June 4 These are some stray cases of allegedly irrational compensation at Gurusar village of Gidderbaha sub-division in Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s home district Muktsar. The relief has been meagre as compared to the waterlogging crisis, which has crippled the lives of the residents here. What has upset the affected families more is the difference in relief even if the land area was the same. They have now been accusing the state government of playing a joke on them. They have also alleged negligence on part of the officials concerned. Nirmal Singh, who has received Rs 73 for his nearly an acre of land, has demanded an inquiry, and action against the guilty officials. “Our fields are located along the Rajasthan and Sirhind Feeder canals, which have been found to be one of the main reasons for waterlogging. The problem persists for years but this meagre amount is tantamount to rubbing salt on our wounds. Our neighbours have got Rs 6,100 for a one-acre plot. There seems to be no fixed criterion,” he rued. Nirmal alleged that Revenue Department officials never visited the site or contacted them and, as such, there was variation in compensation. Not only Nirmal, those who got a big amount as compensation also opined similar views: “It is a fact that nobody came here for girdawari.” On the other hand, the revenue department officials justify the irrational distribution with a standard one-line reply: “We are overburdened.” Harnek Singh, patwari of Gurusar village, said, “The village is spread over 6,000 acres of land. I tried my best to give genuine amount to the affected farmers. But if someone has got cheque for a small amount, he can approach us.” He also admitted that chances of mistake were high as “it was an arduous task”. He also cited a technical reason: “Usually people ignore updating their names as cultivators in land record. We give compensation to cultivators, not land owners.”
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Akhand Path to mark 30th anniversary of Bluestar begins
Amritsar, June 4 The All-India Sikh Students Federation has demanded that June 6 should be declared a state holiday to "honour martyrdom of innocent Sikhs". Even 30 years after Operation Bluestar, the SGPC is still struggling to get compensation from the Union Government for the damages caused during the Army operation as also to bring back the treasure trove taken away from the Sikh Reference Library. The SGPC is contesting a case against the Union Government in the Delhi High Court seeking Rs 1,000 crore for damages caused during the Army operation. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said they deposited the court fee of Rs 10 crore in the case last year, following which the court had issued notices to the Centre and the state government. While the Centre has filed a reply in the court, the state government is yet to do so. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for August. The SGPC had first filed the case in an Amritsar court in 1985, but it was later transferred to the Delhi HC. Initially, the SGPC was averse to depositing the hefty amount of Rs 10 crore as court fee, intimating the Delhi High Court in March last year that it was withdrawing the case. The SGPC move created a furor in Sikh circles, so it went back on its decision and submitted a plea in the court in April, expressing its intent to carry on the legal battle.
Geelani vows support to Sikh
'struggle'
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No rift, claims Shanta Kumar
Jalandhar, June 4 Senior SAD and BJP leaders are of the view that the blame game over the poll drubbing must stop and issues that led to the same should be discussed behind closed doors and not in the public domain. The BJP leadership is bitterly disappointed at Arun Jaitley's defeat from Amritsar.The state BJP president had a few days ago blamed "political patronage" to the drug trade in Punjab for the ruling alliance's poor performance. This had evoked a strong reaction from the Chief Minister who asked him to substantiate his claim. When contacted, senior BJP leaders refused to speak on the issue. Akali leaders were also tight-lipped. Shanta Kumar, BJP in charge of Punjab affairs, claimed there was no rift between the alliance partners. He admitted that Jaitley's defeat and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) securing 24 per cent of the votes in Punjab were matters of concern. “ It is time for introspection. The leaders of both parties will sit together and discuss what went wrong,” he said. A large number of BJP leaders say that the seven-member committee constituted to analyse the poll results is nothing but an attempt to duck responsibility for the poll drubbing. “Two very senior leaders have already blamed the SAD for Jaitley's defeat. The committee will only endorse their claim,” said a senior leader. “Jaitley was defeated in Amritsar because of local BJP leaders and Anil Joshi's resignation from the state Cabinet was a drama,” he added.
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post-poll analysis by sad
Chandigarh, June 4 Property tax and escalating prices of sand and gravel were the other reasons for Doaba voters turning away from the SAD, feel senior Akali leaders. Sukhbir Singh Badal, SAD president, held a closed-door meeting with senior leaders, former and serving MLAs and SGPC members from Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts. They were asked for their feedback on why the party had fared poorly in the Lok Sabha elections.The leaders pointed out that the electorate was disillusioned with the Akalis for being unable to run various welfare programmes. The pension scheme, shagun scheme and the food scheme had faced hiccups owing to the state's poor fiscal health. This had antagonised the voters. Gurpartap Singh Wadala, MLA from Nakodar, reportedly pointed out that the NRIs had played a vital role in weaning voters away from the party. “They raised the issues of drugs, corruption and the VIP culture. This created a negative sentiment against the SAD-BJP Government. the NRIs used the social media to malign the government. Also, the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) campaign fuelled the anti-incumbency sentiment,” he is reported to have said. Some leaders raised the issue of corruption and how people were forced to bribe local body employees to pay property tax. A senior leader from the Majha region said the recent drive to arrest those taking drugs rather than going after the drug peddlers had boomeranged on the government.
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Chandigarh, June 4 The state government, under the command of Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal had held NRI conferences in Chandigarh and in Jalandhar to win their support. Yet a majority of NRIs supported AAP candidates in the recent Lok Sabha elections. — TNS
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punjab’s drug menace-IV
Chandigarh, June 4
These jails have the capacity to accommodate 18,000 inmates. But now, these have been coping up with 27,000 inmates, the number of whom has swelled after the crackdown. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has himself visited the Bathinda Central Jail to see how the addicts were being managed. Though the jail authorities claimed they had no problem in dealing with the high influx of addicts and peddlers, a statewide survey carried out by The Tribune teams found out that facilities were lacking. Amritsar The police move has further burdened the already overcrowded Amritsar Central Jail. Official records suggest that 46 inmates have died since January 2013 due to health reasons. Overcrowding was stated to be one of the main reasons behind the deaths. The jail has 4,300 inmates against the capacity of 1,650. On an average, 70 of the 100 prisoners lodged here are hooked on to drugs. As the 50-bedded drug de-addiction centre inside the jail was not equipped to accommodate such a large number of addicts, the authorities on May 26 spared a separate barrack for the purpose. Jail Superintendent RK Sharma said the barrack with a capacity of 400 persons had been dedicated for de-addiction. “Since May 24, we have received 225 inmates who were caught with drugs or were peddlers,” he said. Sources said over 60 per cent of the inmates here were hooked on to drugs. “Barring drug peddlers, the addicts should be admitted to de-addiction centres run by government or NGOs outside instead of sending them to jail directly,” viewed Sharma. A de-addiction programme launched by the jail officials has been hit due to staff crunch. The jail hospital has only one medical officer against the sanctioned strength of five. There is no woman doctor to take care of female inmates. Medical officer Dr Amrit Pal Singh said medicines and other equipment had recently been arranged with a Rs 5 lakh grant. But catering to such a large number of patients had become tough as there was no nursing and other supporting staff, he said. Sangrur Against the capacity of 550, the district jail is housing 1,200 inmates. After May 21 when the police launched the crackdown on the drug trade, 90 more persons booked under the NDPS Act have been lodged here. As the jail has no de-addiction centre, the officials sent eight addicts to Patiala on June 2 for treatment. The authorities did not have any specific figures about the number of addicts or peddlers lodged in the jail. Ludhiana The Central Jail here has a capacity to house 2,600 inmates, but currently there are over 3,400 inmates lodged here. Jail Superintendent SP Khanna admitted they were facing space crunch: "We may face problem if more prisoners land in the days to come." In the last about a week, more than 350 addicts have been brought to the jail. The number is in addition to the over 300 peddlers who were already lodged here. Dr Gurcharan Singh, who is treating the addicts, said, "They suffer from withdrawal symptoms, including body ache, running of nose, watery eyes, abdominal discomfort and seizures in acute cases.” Kapurthala The arrest of hundreds of peddlers over the last several days has led to overcrowding in Kapurthala Modern Jail. Against the capacity of 2,870, the jail has 4,139 inmates. Lalit Kohli, Deputy Superintendent of Jail, admitted that they had been facing problems due to overcrowding. "The jail has about 1,200 inmates in excess and they have to be adjusted with other inmates," he said. Due to overcrowding, the de-addiction centre was hardly achieving its purpose, said officials. Bathinda As many as 64 persons booked under the NDPS Act have been put behind bars at the Central Jail, Bathinda. The jail can accommodate 1,146 inmates but their number has now increased to 1,285. Deputy Superintendent of Jail Manjit Singh said overcrowding was not an issue here as they had managed up to 1,600 inmates. Compiled by Varinder Singh with inputs from GS Paul (Amritsar), Sushil Goyal (Sangrur), Sukhmeet Bhasin (Bathinda), Shivani Bhakoo (Ludhiana) and Nikhil Bhardwaj
(Kapurthala)
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Youth Akali Dal leader quizzed
Jalandhar, June 4 Gurmail remained incommunicado even as the police refused to share any information. The Jalandhar (Rural) SSP, Narinder Bhargava, could not be contacted for comment. Gurmail is a confidant of Phillaur MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Avinash Chander. He was detained by the Phillaur police and CIA personnel late last night. A Youth Akali Dal (YAD) leader, he was questioned for suspected involvement in the drug trade and illegal sand mining. Reliable sources said Gurmail had named five persons involved in the drug trade. But the Phillaur MLA said Gurmail was a "dedicated party leader and is not involved in drug peddling or illegal sand mining”. Gurmail is reportedly close to Goraya-based industrialist Chunni Lal Gaba, who has already been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate. Insiders say Gurmail was once the right-hand man of former minister SS Phillaur. The latter shifted to the Kartarpur Assembly constituency and Gurmail got closer to
Chander.
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Jail official dismissed in drug case
Chandigarh, June 4 A government spokesperson said Ajmer Singh was Head Warder at the jail. He allegedly helped Amritpal Singh, an inmate, purchase heroin worth Rs 1.48 lakh. Ajmer was found guilty following an inquiry. The investigation officer said in his report: “Due to the illegal and unethical activities of the head warder, the image of the government and the Jail Department has taken a beating. So, it is not in favour of the department to continue with Ajmer Singh's services.” Illicit liquor seized The Tarn Taran police have seized a huge quantity of illicit liquor from Valtoha village in the district. SSP Rajjit Singh Hundal said after a day-long operation, the police seized 14,425 litres of ‘lahan’. He said over 20 raids were conducted.
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Chemist shops a major source of narcotics, says HC
Chandigarh, June 4 “We may note in the end that making available such habit forming drugs is a serious matter, more so in the State of Punjab where drug menace is prevalent on a large scale and one of the major sources is availability of drugs through licensed chemists. This is not a matter of which a more compassionate view can be taken”. The observations by the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Arun Palli came on an appeal filed against the State of Punjab and other respondents. The retail drugs licence issued to the petitioner was cancelled on March 5, 2012, and the appeal against the order dismissed on February 13, 2013. The two orders were assailed by the petitioner by filing a writ petition, which too was dismissed by the impugned order dated March 28. Taking up the matter, the Bench observed no less than five inspections were carried out between May 2007 and June 2011; and “each occasion showed detection of stocking of habit forming drugs without purchase/sale record”. “It is this continuing conduct of the petitioner which has resulted in the consequences of the licence itself being cancelled,” the Bench observed. Dismissing the appeal, the Bench added: “The petitioner had been given opportunities to improve his conduct by placing his licence under suspension on many occasions, but was found to be a repeat offender contravening the relevant drug rules”.
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80% force addicted, claim cops sent to de-addiction centre
Muktsar, June 4 To substantiate their claim, they even said, “Some test should be done on all the policemen so that the truth comes out. Nearly 80 per cent of them are addicted but we have been brought here only because of our bad reputation before our seniors.” Head Constable Rajibir Singh, who joined the police in 1993, said, “I am addicted for the past 10 years. Not just me, nearly 80 per cent of the policemen are addicted to drugs.” His hands were continuously trembling and he was unable to even hold a glass of water. Constable Harkrishan Singh, who joined the service in 1989, said, “I am addicted to poppy husk. But it is too costly now, so I decided to denounce this practice. In the past, I used to get my dose from the seized contraband.” Head Constable Jaskaran Singh said, “I started consuming poppy husk since the last three months. Earlier, I was addicted to
other intoxicants.” Dr S Krishnan, psychiatrist and Medical Superintendent, said, “This is not the first case of its kind. Earlier too, policemen came in civvies and met me in the OPD as they did not want to reveal their identity. But they are getting treatment.” SSP Kuldeep Chahal admitted that these policemen could be involved in smuggling activities. “Policing is a field job and if they can consume drugs, they may be supplying it further. But at this stage we are focusing on their reformation. Disciplinary action will be taken later,” said Chahal.
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Activists lambast state govt for water pollution
During a seminar organised in this regard in
Sangria segment this afternoon, eminent environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal said, "We need people who think from the heart and not brain when dealing with water. “Unfortunately, the Punjab Government and the Punjab Pollution Control Board did not follow the directions given by Punjab and Haryana High Court in letter and spirit. It is regrettable that water carrying hazardous chemicals discharged by industries is even being used for pious sarovars in religious places,” he said. Zila Parishad chairperson Shobha Doodi and vice-chairperson Shabnam Godara, who had approached the National Green Tribunal with
a PIL against Punjab, said they would not rest till Punjab checked the supply of contaminated water through the Indira Gandhi Canal, Ferozepur Feeder and Gang
(Bikaner).
Punjab’s canal water to be tested
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Corporation status sought for Batala
Batala, June 4 Batala is known for its foundries and other small and medium industrial units. At present, the Batala Municipal Committee has 33 municipal wards. As per norms, there should be at least 35
wards if the town has to get a Municipal Corporation. Lodhinangal today told the Chief Minister that the demarcation of wards had been done
several years ago. The halqa in charge said now that the population had increased and certain areas on the outskirts of the city had become an integral part
of the town, it was imperative that the number of wards should be increased to 35.
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SGPC wary of RSS activities in state
Chandigarh, June 4 Karnail Singh Panjoli said he had told the SAD leadership that Punjab was a sensitive state
and that the activities of organisations such as the RSS should be watched carefully. He said at a meeting with the SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Prem Singh Chandumajra and others, he had referred to the RSS camp in Mansa and the RSS chief’s meeting with the Beas dera chief. Some SGPC members from Mansa had already brought the matter to the notice of the SAD leadership, Panjoli said. "No one should be allowed to disrupt the hard-earned peace in the state," he added.
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Grenades found in village pond
Jagraon, June 4 The recovery was made around 11.30 am while some workers hired under the MGNREGA Scheme were cleaning the pond. As soon as the news about the recovery of ammunition spread, a large number of villagers gathered near the pond. A police team led by Jagraon DSP Surinder Kumar and DSP (D) Naveen Kumar reached the spot. It sealed the area and took the ammunition into its custody. The bomb-disposal squad was yet to reach the spot till the filing of this report. The DSP confirmed that 14 hand grenades and 33 cartridges of AK-47 rifle were found in the village pond. "The ammunition was found during the cleaning of the pond. We have sealed the whole area and called the bomb-disposal squad. An investigation is underway to establish how these grenades and cartridges reached here," he said. The DSP said, "It would be quite early to say whether the grenades and the cartridges are live or not. We will be able to comment on this only after the experts have completed their investigation."
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Farmers’ suicide: Panel to suggest remedial steps
Chandigarh, June 4 The committee has been asked to suggest measures to prevent the unfortunate deaths. The Chief Minister’s office said other members on the committee were Financial Commissioner ,Revenue, Financial Commissioner, Development, Secretary, Agriculture, and heads of the departments of economics and sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Thee Commissioner, Agriculture, would be its convener. The government had earlier formulated a policy allowing Rs 2 lakh to the family of farmers who committed suicide because of debt.
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Date for paddy transplant preponed
Chandigarh, May 4 He has asked the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to make necessary arrangements for supplying requisite power for sowing the crop from June 10. A notification was recently issued by the state government, postponing the paddy transplantation date from
June 10 to June 15. Some farmers had approached the CM to get the notification revoked. The CM has now directed the Agriculture Department to allow paddy transplantation from June 10.
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Engg students catch teacher ‘writing’ classmate’s paper
Patiala, June 4 They alleged that while they were taking the maths-II re-appear exam, Gurvinder submitted his answer sheet in half time and left. They protesting students alleged their examination supervisor then took Gurvinder’s answer sheet to the department head’s office. Since, Gurvinder had allegedly done the same in maths-I re-appear exam, the students got suspicious. “We got up, submitted our incomplete papers and left the room. We found Gurvinder with the department head, who was writing his paper,” they alleged. When they confronted Ruchi, she allegedly hid the paper. The students then complained to the principal and staged a protest. College Principal Kulwant Singh refuted the allegations and said the students were making excuses not to take the test.
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A Maluka confidant, Vinod Kumar was in trouble again
Chandigarh, June 4 He was found guilty in a book purchase scam by a judicial commission last year. Maluka’s name too figured in the scam, but he was exonerated by a commission headed by Justice AN Jindal. Vinod Kumar, then District Education Officer (DEO), Elementary and Secondary, Pritpal Kaur, then Director Public Instruction (DPI), Elementary, and Gurtej Singh, Account and Budget Officer, were held guilty by the Jindal Commission. But the Education Minister was absolved of all charges. With the media time and again highlighting the book scam, Vinod Kumar was under tremendous pressure, said the bereaved family. The deceased was once again facing charges of impropriety and commiting irregularities. Vinod Kumar had co-authored a book “Introductory Micro and Macro Economics”, for Class XII students. This book, published by Delhi-based Kalyani Publishers, was being promoted in the state's government schools, on the plea that it had been recommended by the Punjab School Education Board. However the “permission letter/circular” recommending the book was found to be fake and the Mohali police registered an FIR against the publisher for defrauding the education board. It was found that with the help of the fake circular, copies of the book were sold to Class XI and Class XII students. These books contained fake numbers of the board (an identification used to distinguish books published by the board), a senior official told The Tribune. Simultaneously, the school board instituted an inquiry under BL Gupta, a retired registrar of Panjab University, into the distribution of the book co-authored by Vinod Kumar. This, the sources, said had upset Vinod Kumar. The latter was among the three officers indicted by the Jindal commission for purchasing books worth Rs 9 crore (under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan), disregarding norms. This inquiry failed to take into account the fact that the purchase committee had itself been formed by the Education Minister in utter disregard of the laid down procedures. The minister had not taken then Director General Secondary Education (DGSE), KS Pannu, or Secretary, Education, into confidence while constituting the committee. Vinod Kumar and Pritpal Kaur were made members of the purchase committee while the seniority of other officials in the department was ignored. This committee floated tenders and then nominated a private company for supplying books to school libraries. The company existed only on paper. It was actually a pipe factory in Sardulgarh. This firm did not get the authorisation letter from the DGSE to sell the books. Instead, it used a “certificate” issued by the purchase committee to convince schools to buy the books. A similar modus operandi was adopted to distribute science kits in
Punjab schools.
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Fate of Patiala Ayurvedic College hangs in balance
Patiala, June 4 The college that is affiliated to Guru Ravidass Ayurvedic University, Hoshiapur, has not been allowed to enrol any students for the past three consecutive years as it did not meet the criteria. The Department of Ayush, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, will shortly announce if the college is permitted to enroll students for session 2014-15. If the college is denied permission to enroll new students this session, infrastructure worth several crores will go to waste. The two-member team of Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), comprising Dr PC Chaudhary and Dr NK Verma, inspected the working of the college and the hospital in February. The team has submitted their final report and the Department of Ayush is expected to announce its decision soon. Dr PC Chaudhary said, “I cannot reveal the contents of the confidential report, but I can say the government will soon take a decision on the matter.” The college, which is the only government ayurvedic institution in the state, has not been allowed to enroll students due to shortage of teachers, unsatisfactory bed occupancy and few patients visiting the OPD in the hospital.
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Five of family found dead
Machhiwara, June 4 A neighbour, Jaswinder Kaur, got suspicious when nobody from the house came out though it was well past 9 am. She peeped through a hole in the gate and found Jodha Singh's body hanging from a ceiling fan. The police was informed. Senior officials, including the Khanna SSP and the Ludhiana DIG rushed to the site. Jodha Singh, a driver, had been without work for the past several months because of poor eyesight. His wife, who worked as domestic help, was the sole bread-earner for the family. Residents claimed that Jodha Singh suspected his wife’s fidelity and would often quarrel with her. Jarnail Singh, Machhiwara SHO, said Jodha Singh was a migrant from Bihar. His real name was Iqbal. He fell in love with Mandeep, a local girl, and married her. How he had acquired a new name and a driver’s licence identifying him as Jodha Singh was a mystery. The police said Jodha Singh may have poisoned his wife and children and then committed suicide.
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Farmer kills wife, two kids
Abohar, June 4 Rameshwer Dayal Swami, DSP, said the murders were planned. Dwarka Prasad first attacked his wife Sarla (35) and then his daughter Manisha (11) and son Raman (9). The victims’ cries for help woke up neighbours who rushed them to the Civil Hospital. But the three died on the way because of heavy bleeding. Dwarka Prasad has been arrested. The motive for the ghastly murders is yet to be known.
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Gurusar (Gidderbaha), June 4
Chandigarh, June 4
Patiala, June 4
Some unanswered
questions
Abohar, June 4