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State govt to focus on RTS Act, dept reforms
Farmers protest inadequate canal water supply
Muktsar to be first stubble burn-free dist: DC
Shandil panel asked to return
Post-elections, state Cabinet to meet on June 11
Notice to Chief Secy on Ghaggar pollution
Thermal plant unit made functional
Residents of Bathinda village cane-charged
No drugs, patients protest
Poll expenditure reports sought
Heat wave: PAU lists steps to protect cotton
Moga admn promotes maize cultivation
Under debt, Bathinda farmer ends life
Anti-drug drive casts shadow on paddy sowing
Fatehgarh Sahib to go hi-tech on 4,000 hectares
Illegal donations: Sikh hotelier Chatwal’s sentencing deferred
HC stays hiring drivers for Ambulance 108
Spell out reasons for appointing junior as Judge-Advocate: HC
Member of gang with Pak links held
Former sarpanch killed by labourer
One killed, eight medicos hurt
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clash at golden temple on bluestar anniversary
While Akal Takht Jathedar has virtually given a clean chit to SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann, the SGPC has blamed him for the trouble. Talking to mediapersons, the Akal Takht Jathedar, Giani Gurbachan Singh, blamed some "unscrupulous elements" for the violence. He alleged that their aim was to create fissures in the Sikh community. He said the clash broke out after Mann had left the venue. He said the culprits would be identified with the help of CCTV cameras and stringent action would be taken against them. He denied that "historic" weapons were used in the clash. However, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar blamed Mann and Amrik Singh Ajnala for the clash. In a statement, he said six SGPC employees, including Bhai Satnam Singh, one of the Panj Piare, were injured. He said those who had indulged in the violence had "humiliated Operation Bluestar martyrs". He accused them of violating the Sikh "maryada”.
Mann said a section of Sikhs raised pro-Khalistan slogans and the Akal Takht Jathedar asked him to stop them. "When I asked for the microphone, I was snubbed. I climbed down the stairs to address the gathering. This angered the sangat that confronted the SGPC task force and a clash ensued," he said. It’s disrespect to martyrs: SAD Chandigarh: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has condemned the violence "unleashed by the SAD (Amritsar) in the Darbar Sahib complex" and said such conduct amounted to "disrespecting the sacrifices of the martyrs." Party general secretary Maheshinder Singh Grewal said the manner in which SAD (Amritsar) had tried to use a religious function to revive itself politically was condemnable. Terming the "sacrilegious conduct" as anti-Sikh act, the SAD appealed to the community worldwide to maintain calm. "The SAD will not allow anyone to play politics over the bodies of the martyrs of Operation Bluestar," Grewal added.
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Need to save youth from drugs, says Jathedar
Amritsar, June 6 In his address to the community on Operation Bluestar anniversary, the Jathedar said: “We have already lost a generation to the dark days of terrorism. We can’t afford to lose another. It is imperative that we sensitise the people against drug addiction and persuade the addicted youth to join de-addiction facilities available in the state.” He said awareness against drugs was the key to check the menace. He appealed to the Sikh community to unite under Akal Takht and strengthen itself. He said the Operation Bluestar took place three decades ago, but the wounds were still fresh. He said the “anti-Panthic forces” were uniting which was a big challenge before the Sikhs. He also emphasised on the propagation of Sikhism in the country and abroad. He asked the Sikh community to continue its struggle for the release of Sikh youths languishing in jails. Earlier, the “bhog” ceremony of the “akhand path” organised to mark the occasion took place at Akal Takht. Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Mal Singh performed the “ardas”.
Bhindranwale’s son felicitated
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh and SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar felicitated Ishar Singh, son of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, and Bibi Harmit Kaur, wife of Bhai Amrik Singh, among others.
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State govt to focus on RTS Act, dept reforms
Chandigarh, June 6 Presiding over a meeting of key officials at the Punjab Bhawan here, the Deputy Chief Minister announced that he would take up the twin projects as his top priority. The project would be given the same importance as given to the project to make Punjab a power-surplus state. Sukhbir directed the officials to start work immediately on creation of computer kiosks in all villages of the state, which could provide the access of all 149 citizen services to the people. “My mission is to ensure no citizen needs to interact with any government department. It is also my desire to complete this project by March 31 next year,” the Deputy CM said. Notification The Punjab Government has notified a set of rules to streamline the Vigilance machinery Under these rules, no department can initiative an inquiry parallel to that by the Vigilance Department. An official spokesperson said that any inquiry ordered by the Vigilance would be named as Vigilance inquiry. The existing nomenclature of preliminary inquiry had been done away with. He said it had now been made mandatory to complete any Vigilance inquiry within three months from the date of reference. No extension, except in special circumstances, would be granted. Any investigation in a criminal case would be completed within three months from the date of registration of an FIR and intimation sent to the government for further action. In case of failure to adhere to the time limit, responsibility would be fixed by the government/committee and action taken against the erring officials, the spokesperson added.
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Farmers protest inadequate canal water supply
Fazilka, June 6 They protested the alleged move of the Irrigation Department to narrow the water course at the Sivana village headworks. The villagers get water from the Sivana head of the Bandiwala distributary, which is considered the lifeline for irrigation in these villages. Notably, Bandiwala, state and Kheowali Dhab distributaries originate from the Kabulshah headworks and supply water to border area villagers for irrigation. There has been a shortage of water in these distributaries due to various reasons, including theft of water by influential farmers on the upstream. Poor maintenance of the distributary and water courses has added to the woes of the farmers. “Due to inadequate water in the state distributary our fields remain dry,” said a farmer, Sohan Lal of Shahtirwala village. Moreover, villagers said the department was “trying” to ensure irrigation water supply to another tail-end village, Khanpur, following reports of land turning “barren” due to the non-availability of canal water for the past four years. “With the narrowing of the water course, the flow
of irrigation water would reduce further,” said the sarpanch of Sivana village, Ravi Siag. “Due to poor maintenance of the Bandiwala distributary, the bed has become uneven hence the desired quantity of water does not reach the tail end,” said a farmer. Meanwhile, police personnel were deployed along the Bandiwala distributary to prevent any untoward incident. Executive Engineer, Eastern Canal Division, Ferozepur, Sukhbir Singh Mundi said the department was committed to providing requisite water at all levels and it
would not allow reduction of water at the Sivana headworks. “The distributaries will be repaired after the end of the
paddy sowing season in October as the water supply cannot be stopped from the upstream
during the peak sowing season,” said Mundi.
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Muktsar to be first stubble burn-free dist: DC
Muktsar, June 6 Jawala Bai Trust, an NGO, would help NABARD in this endeavour. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jaskiran Singh talked about the project while presiding over a meeting of NABARD and other departments concerned. He said NABARD had already successfully completed its pilot project in 12 villages of the district. "Results of the pilot
project showed that farmers could save up to Rs 5,000 per acre by not burning paddy/wheat straw," he added. Jaskiran said camps would be held in
which demonstration of latest eco-friendly and money-earning techniques of paddy straw management would be given to farmers. He said the state government was providing 50 per cent subsidy on the purchase of baler machine for making bales of paddy straw. The DC said the burning of crop residue not
only affected the environment but also burned micro and macro nutrients in the soil. He said farmers would be motivated to make bales to sell these to bio-mass power plants established in the district.
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Shandil panel asked to return
Chandigarh, June 6 Chairman of the committee, Social Justice Minister of Himachal Pradesh Dhani Ram Shandil, said he would submit a preliminary report to the leadership. "We will also seek more time from the party high command to analyse the reasons for the party's defeat in Punjab, " he said. The committee was to submit a report by July 5. Sources in the Amarinder camp pointed out that the committee had been asked to return as the party did not want any "negative publicity against its deputy leader in the Lok Sabha". They alleged that certain leaders were trying to sully Amarinder's image. The committee, comprising Haryana Transport Minister Aftab Ahmad, Jai Kishen, Surinder Yadav and Lakhwinder Kaur Garcha, today met three candidates who lost the Lok Sabha elections— Harminder Singh Gill (Khadoor Sahib), Vijay Inder Singla (Sangrur) and Mohinder Singh Kaypee (Hoshiarpur). Partap Singh Bajwa, Punjab Pradesh congress Committee chief, Joginder Singh Pangrian and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot had met the committee yesterday. Preneet Kaur and Sunil Jakhar were said to be in Delhi to meet party president Sonia Gandhi. Ambika Soni, who lost the Anandpur Sahib seat, was abroad, said sources. Sources said the candidates who had met Shandil had blamed infighting and lack of support of local MLAs for their defeat. They are reported to have said that the MLAs of their areas campaigned only in Amritsar, where Capt Amarinder Singh was in the fray, or in Anandpur Sahib from where Ambika Soni was fielded. Shandil told mediapersons that he would return soon and get on the job assigned to him.
Move to protect Capt
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Post-elections, state Cabinet to meet on June 11
While all government departments are busy finalising their agenda for Cabinet approval, sources say the issues that saw the voters turning away from the alliance will be taken up. They say rationalising property tax, greater relief for traders by including the steel industry on the positive list and lower cancer cess on fresh investors (from 1 per cent of fixed capital investment to 0.25 per cent) are some of the issues expected to be taken up at the meeting. The Cabinet is also expected to approve dates for the Budget session. Punjab has not passed its Budget so far. It has only passed a vote-on-account of Rs 25,292.96 crore, allowing the government to run its expenses for a period of four months (April- July 2014). Over the past couple of months, the BJP ministers have expressed concern over urban voters turning away from the alliance because of fresh taxes. However, the Akali leaders had so far ignored their grievance. Now, the SAD is on the back foot on account of the defeat of BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley from Amritsar. The state BJP has been blaming anti-incumbency against the Akalis for the defeat. Sources say an emboldened BJP is likely to adopt a more aggressive approach at the Cabinet meetings to ensure that their suggestions are considered.
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SAD halqa in charge raids offices in Nabha
Patiala, June 6 The SAD leader, Makhan Singh Lalka, even called up a senior medical officer (SMO) and told him to report at his office at the earliest. The development has raised many an eyebrow as a halqa in charge has no powers to raid government offices. Accompanied by Nabha Student Organisation of India head Gursewak Golu and some local mediapersons, Lalka barged into the office of Primary Health Centre, Bhadson, this morning. The SAD leaders threatened to mark the SMO absent, who was on an official tour to Kakrala village. Lalka said: "When I reached the health centre, Dr Bhupinder Singh was not present in his office. I asked his staff to produce SMO's tour proceedings and attendance register. I called up Dr Bhupinder and asked him to return to his office or meet a SAD Jathedar in Kakrala." The SMO said he had left early as he had to attend a medical camp. Official sources said the SAD leaders threatened them with dire consequences for helping the doctors remaining absent during official hours. They also called up Patiala Deputy Commissioner Varun Roojam informing him of the doctor's absence, the sources said. "Such pressure tactics make it difficult for us to work. We have to abide by their unjust demands or face action. No local leader has the right to check official records and order the SMO to report on duty," they claimed. The Deputy Commissioner said after Lalka brought the matter to his notice, he checked the records and found that both the officers had permission to leave their office. "While the EO was on a leave for two days, the SMO was on an official tour," he said. Lalka said he had no such powers but he was a representative of the people and thus had the right to check the functioning of government offices. The SAD leader later raided the office of the local Municipal Council and found the executive officer absent. Patiala Civil Surgeon HS Bali said he had no knowledge of any such raid, but added only the Deputy Commissioner or the Civil Surgeon could conduct such raids. "An SMO is a senior officer. He can proceed on a tour within his block. There is nothing wrong in it," he said.
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Notice to Chief Secy on Ghaggar pollution
New Delhi, June 6 The notices have been issued to the functionaries of the two states after the commission took suo motu cognisance of a media report highlighting the matter. The commission has observed that the report has raised a serious issue of violation of right to pollution-free environment of the residents of areas located near the river. The functionaries of the two states have been asked to respond to the notices within two weeks. The chairperson of Punjab Pollution Control Board alleged the pollution was mostly coming from Haryana whereas there was "zero" pollution from Punjab.
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Thermal plant unit made functional
Ropar, June 6 The repair of unit No 4, which tripped on June 4, is likely to get delayed due to an agitation by the PSEB Engineers' Association. The engineers, demanding reforms in the power sector, have resorted to "work-to-rule" principle. They have refused to work after 5 pm. The engineers today examined the faulty unit and detected that the roof of the penthouse was damaged due to high pressure in the furnace of the boiler. The repair work has started. Sources said the engineers would not work after 5 pm today and with Saturday and Sunday being holidays, none of them would report on duty before Monday. Chief Engineer HP Singh, however, claimed the agitation of engineers would not have any impact on the repair work. "The work has to be carried out by the contractor. He will make alternative arrangements as regards supervision to complete the work in the minimum possible time," he claimed.
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Residents of Bathinda village cane-charged
Bathinda, June 6 A clash had taken place between Bhai Roop Chand Langar Sewa Society and SGPC workers over the land a few days back and 16 persons were booked. Five of them were arrested. They were let off on bail but were re-arrested. The villagers were protesting against the police move. — TNS
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No drugs, patients protest
Sangrur, June 6 The protesters demanded that either the government provided medicines to them free of cost or open poppy husk vends in the state. Dr Balwant Singh, Senior Medical Officer, said the police had yesterday intercepted the truck carrying the medicines near Rajpura. The consignment reached here at noon today following which medicines were supplied to the patients, he added.
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Poll expenditure reports sought
Fatehgarh Sahib, June 6 This was stated by District Returning Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Arun Sekhri while presiding over a meeting of candidates and their agents. He directed them to fill annexure 15 as per directions of the Election Commission of India, besides providing expenditure registers. He said if any ambiguities were found in the expenditure details of any candidate, he would have to explain that.
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Heat wave: PAU lists steps to protect cotton
Chandigarh, June 6 PAU forecasts that the heat wave will persist for the next three days and the temperature will hover around 46 degree Celsius. It has also predicted that there would be no rainfall during the next five days. The PAU has suggested that to protect paddy nurseries from high temperature, these should be given light dose of water frequently. The transplantation of fully developed nurseries of non-basmati varieties will begin on June 10. The state government has fixed a target to cover 26.5 lakh hectares under paddy. Of this, 6.5 lakh hectares will be under the basmati varieties. The cotton crop has already been sown over 4.8 lakh hectares against the target of 5.3 lakh hectares, said Mangal Singh Sandhu, Director, Agriculture. Apprehending that the heat wave may lead to the burning of cotton crop, the PAU has suggested irrigating the crop if it is more than four weeks old. Usually, high temperature accompanied by fast blowing winds damages the cotton crop severely. Dust accumulated on plant leaves damages the crop most. PAU has also recommended irrigating of mentha, spring maize and chilly crop. PAU says the heat wave can affect the fruit setting in chilly crop which should be irrigated twice a week. In case there is a burning of fruit, no chemical should be sprayed on the crop. "To avoid excess production of basmati and marketing problems, farmers have been told to adopt a rational approach while enhancing the area under basmati varieties," said Sandhu, adding that the basmati varieties such as 1509 should not be transplanted before the recommended date. He said farmers should be careful while spraying pesticides on crops during the heat wave. "Crops should not be sprayed between 11 am and 3 pm in any case," he said. To eliminate weeds from the direct seeded paddy crop, weedicides should be used late in the afternoon, he said, adding crops should be watered after regular intervals to avoid heat
stroke.
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Moga admn promotes maize cultivation
Moga, June 6 Under this drive, the area under paddy cultivation in Moga district will be reduced in the next five years. Over 2,050 hectares of land is being brought under maize cultivation this year. District Magistrate Parminder Singh Gill today said maize was cultivated on 800 hectares of land in this district in 2013. This year, it would be sown in an area of 2,850 hectares of land marking an increase of 2,050 hectares. He said 300 quintals
of hybrid seed of maize would be distributed to farmers by the district administration. Maize seeds of three
companies — Mansento, Pioneer and Shri Ram — had arrived at block offices of the district, which was being provided to farmers on subsidised rates, he said.
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Under debt, Bathinda farmer ends life
Bathinda, June 6 Gurvinder Singh had reportedly taken a loan for the treatment of his two-year-old niece at a private hospital in Ludhiana. Unable to re-pay it, he ended his life. His body was found in his fields. The deceased and his brother also used to drive a truck part-time to make both ends meet. The family, it is learnt, had even sold their livestock but still failed to clear their loan. Gurvinder’s family rushed him to the Rampura Civil Hospital but he died on the way. BKU leader Sukhdev Singh has demanded that the state government should provide a relief of Rs 5 lakh to the deceased’s kin. Ten days ago as well, two farmers, Jagmeet Singh
of Chak Fateh Singhwala village and Tehal Singh of Phul in Bathinda district, had ended their life due to debt.
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Sangrur to double area under direct sowing of paddy
Sangrur, June 6 The district agriculture authorities are of the view that they will be able to ensure direct sowing of paddy and basmati on at least 8,500 to 8,700 hectares. During the previous kharif season (2013-14), the total area under direct sowing of paddy in the district was 4,355 hectares. During the 2012-13 kharif season, direct sowing of paddy was undertaken on only 500 hectares. The district agriculture office has 18 direct-seeded rice (DSR) machines. These were provided to it by the state government for direct sowing of paddy last year. Besides the 18 DSR machines, seven more such machines are also available this year. Two machines are the property of Pepsi Foods, Channo, and five belong to the farmers. The Agriculture Department is hopeful that by using these 25 machines it will be able to double the area under direct sowing of paddy in the district during current kharif season. Around 2,000 farmers will take to direct sowing of paddy this year. Direct sowing could help reduce usage of groundwater for cultivation by around 50 per cent. A farmer adopting this method irrigates his fields for the first time immediately after sowing the paddy. He irrigates the fields for the second time after three days and then after a week. This helps in saving around 50 per cent of groundwater. Chief Agriculture Officer, Sangrur, Rajinder Singh Sohi said the Agriculture Department did not charge any money from farmers for using DSR machines for direct sowing of paddy. Initially, the farmers used this method only on one or two acres. Hakam Singh of Longowal village, however, sowed paddy on 30 acres with this method. Varinder Singh, Agriculture Officer, Sunam, had adopted Khetla village for the purpose. Direct sowing of paddy would be undertaken around 1,000 acres in this village. Agriculture Development Officer, Sangrur, Amarjit Singh said, "Direct sowing of paddy led to increase in yield by over one quintal per acre." He said the reason behind the increased yield was that a DSR machine sowed seeds in such a way that about 30 plants grew in a sq m area while manual plantation gave only 18 to 20 plants in the same area.
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Anti-drug drive casts shadow on paddy sowing
Rajpura/Patiala, June 6 To attract workers, they are offering them free mobile connectivity, food and shelter, besides wages. However, contrabands, which used to be a major allurement earlier for wooing migrants, are now off the list due to the recent police crackdown on drug addicts and peddlers. Till last year, the farmers could be seen offering drugs and liquor to migrant labourers, especially at the onset of the paddy season. Opium, poppy husk, ganja and bhang were the favourite baits for the farmers to ensure that their workers returned to them every season and stayed there throughout the season. However, the things have changed this year. With drugs no longer easily available, farmers are now trying their best to woo labourers with other offers. They could be seen waiting at railway stations in the scorching heat and running after labourers offering them higher wages. Implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has further complicated things for them. As labourers are now getting regular employment in their home states, so they do not want to travel anywhere in search of work. "We are already facing difficulties due to the escalating cost of diesel and labour shortage and now arranging drugs for the workers has become another headache," said Bhawanigarh farmer Devinder Singh, waiting for labourers at the Rajpura railway station. "This year, poppy husk is in short supply and it costs over Rs 1,200 per kg. However, there are still some days to go for paddy transplantation and I hope I will be able to arrange farm labourers for the purpose," he stated. A fallout of the recent anti-drug drive of the Punjab Police has resulted in a sharp rise in the prices of common contrabands. The drugs in demand include opium, poppy husk, bhang, tobacco and ganja. "Earlier getting poppy husk was easy and cheap. We usually stored year's supply in advance, but now things have changed and with more police pressure and rising cost, drugs are not easy to procure," said Jagdish Singh Garcha, another farmer. Paddy sowing and transplantation season officially starts on June 10 this year.
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Fatehgarh Sahib to go hi-tech on 4,000 hectares
Fatehgarh Sahib, June 6 He said the district Agriculture Department had set a target to bring 4,000 hectares under direct cultivation of paddy. The technique had the potential to reduce water consumption by 35 to 40 per cent, besides saving more than Rs 3000 per acre as paddy plantation charges. The paddy planted through direct-sowing technique took 10-15 days less to mature, he said. The Agriculture Department was not only providing required technical training to the farmers, but also granting Rs 20,000 subsidy for purchasing drill machine for being used for direct sowing. The state government had already directed for uninterrupted power from June 10 for paddy transplantation.
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Illegal donations: Sikh hotelier Chatwal’s sentencing deferred
New York, June 6 US District Judge I Leo Glasser granted the request made by Chatwal's lawyer Jonathan Sack earlier this week, seeking "adjournment of the sentencing" from July 31, and scheduled the sentencing on October 23. Chatwal, 70, a Padma Bhushan awardee and major fundraiser for former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act by making more than $180,000 in federal campaign donations to three candidates through straw donors who were reimbursed and to witness tampering. Chatwal is free on a $750,000 bail and has surrendered his passport. The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 25 years, but under the plea deal with the government, Chatwal could be sentenced to a little more than five years and may have to pay $500,000 in fines. He also agreed to forfeit $1 million to the US. In a submission before Glasser, Sack had requested that the sentencing be adjourned from July to around October 23, citing the need for more time to gather relevant information for Chatwal's pre-sentence report and sentencing submissions on his behalf. Sack said Chatwal has lived in India, Ethiopia as well as the US and "gathering information about his background and substantial activities in these locations has proven time-consuming." The alternative date in October was also agreeable to federal prosecutors. According to court files, from 2007 to 2011, Chatwal used his employees, business associates and contractors who worked in his hotels to solicit campaign contributions on Chatwal's behalf in support of various candidates for federal office and political action committees, collect these contributions, and pay reimbursements for these contributions. Chatwal and his associates induced straw donors to make the campaign contributions, promising them that they would be reimbursed. — PTI
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HC stays hiring drivers for Ambulance 108
Chandigarh, June 6 In its petition filed through counsel Nimrata Shergill, the association claimed that it was formed by and constitutes drivers and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) recruited to run and manage ambulances in the State of Punjab to ferry patients from the site to hospitals. She contended that the wages prescribed were for eight working hours a day, but the drivers and EMTs were made to do duty on a 12-hour basis per day without payment of overtime wages. She added the drivers were recruited on monthly wages of Rs 8,309, but after making statutory deductions of provident fund and employees’ state insurance, the drivers’ carried a sum of Rs 7,291. “No overtime wages are paid even to drivers, who are made to work 12 hours per day against the statutory prescription of eight hours per day. In the case of the EMTs, no provident fund is being deducted… but they are subjected to deductions under employees state insurance and TDS,” she elaborated. Shergill asserted the petitioner agitated the matter before the state authorities as well as the recruiting contractor. “There was no response from the respondents, which compelled the petitioner to resort to striking work. The immediate cause for invoking the jurisdiction of this court is the fact that the respondents have termed the agitation/strike of the petitioner as illegal and has proceeded to recruit fresh drivers and EMTs”. An advertisement was issued for the purpose on May 25. Appearing before Justice Amol Rattan Singh, she argued the action of the respondents in issuing fresh advertisement to recruit drivers and EMTs, while seeking to terminate the services of members of the petitioner union in violation of statutory industrial law provisions, was gross injustice and abuse of the process of law.
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Spell out reasons for appointing junior as Judge-Advocate: HC
Chandigarh, June 6 A Division Bench also held that the convening order was altered after it was dispatched, while setting aside the dismissal order dated May 17, 2005, passed in court martial proceedings against Lt Col Rahul Arora; and order dated June 22, 2005, confirming the punishment. The Bench also set aside the order dated August 14, 2012, passed by the Armed Forces Tribunal dismissing the appeal. The orders by Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Fateh Deep Singh came on Lt Col Arora’s petition through advocate GS Ghuman. He was posted as Classified ENT Specialist at Military Hospital, Secunderabad, under the Indian Artillery Commandant. The primary charge against him was that in May 2002, he initially declared a recruit unfit. But he later altered the same after 15 days of treatment. As such, he falsified the official document. Another allegation was of absence from duty and behaving in a manner unbecoming of his position. The General Court Martial ordered that the petitioner be dismissed from the service. The order passed on May 17, 2005, was confirmed by the confirming authority on June 22, 2005. During the course of proceedings, Ghuman asserted that the Judge-Advocate was of a rank lower in violation of the Army Rules, 1954. He also pointed out that reasons have not been recorded in the convening order behind appointing a person junior in rank as the Judge-Advocate. Referring to the convening order, the Bench asserted, the words “in my opinion having due regard to exigencies of public service, an officer of equal or superior rank to the accused is not available to act as the Judge-Advocate” are additional. The Bench added: “Once a document has been dispatched by the person signing the same, the communication is complete and any alteration in the document is unauthorised…. Thus, the integrity of the document i.e. the convening order has been violated, when endorsement is introduced in another convening order. Ironically, the petitioner has been charged for the same offence i.e. altering the integrity of a document”.
Court martial
proceedings
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Member of gang with Pak links held
Tarn Taran, June 6 The police party recovered 13 kg of heroin worth Rs 65 crore, Rs 36 lakh in cash, two .32 bore revolvers, six live cartridges, a 9 MM pistol with seven bullets and a .30 bore pistol with seven cartridges from him. Ishwar Chander, IG, Border Range, addressing the media, said they received inputs that the gang members, including Gurjit Singh of Rasulpur village, were travelling from Jhabal in a Nishan Treno (PB-02 -DX-6170) and an Endeavor (PB- 65 R- 6740). The police party headed by DSP (D) Jaswant Singh and CIA officer Inderjit Singh swung into action. At a naka near Jhabal, the two vehicles were signalled to stop. Gurjit Singh, who was driving the Nishan Treno, was nabbed. The rest of the gang members fled. They have been identified as Vicky Kumar, Jagjit Singh , Nirvail Singh, Harshanpreet Singh and Gurjant Singh, all residents of Havelian village, and Amarjit Singh of Jhabal. The IG said that a case under the NDPS and the Arms Act had been registered with the city police. He said that the gang had links with notorious Pakistani smuggler Nasir
Husain.
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Former sarpanch killed by labourer
Kahnuwan, June 6 The accused, Ram, killed Master Gulzar Singh near a tube well
following a quarrel. Harjinder Singh, former Junior Engineer employed with Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and brother of Gulzar Singh, informed the police that Gulzar's body was found at the tube well. Police sources claimed that the labourer had used a spade to beat Gulzar, killing him on the spot. A case of murder under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered at the Kahnuwan police station. A hunt is on to nab the accused.
Quarrel turned
ugly
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One killed, eight medicos hurt
Abohar, June 6 Sources said the van was ferrying medicos from Shri Jagdamba Eye Hospital, Sriganganagar, to an eye camp in Bhitiwala village. The driver of the van reportedly lost control over the vehicle following the collision and it rammed into a roadside tree resulting in injuries to eight occupants. All of them have been shifted to the Civil Hospital, Sriganganagar. The police have initiated proceedings.
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Fazilka, June 6
Muktsar, June 6
Amritsar, June 6
The incident has deeply pained me... Nothing should be done that dents the image of the great, patriotic and peaceful Sikh community. Anybody found guilty will be dealt with firmly
It's highly condemnable that on a day like this there should be violent clashes in the Golden Temple. It is unfortunate and we condemn it in the strongest
terms
The incident of violence is unfortunate. The people of Punjab must not fall into the trap laid by the separatists and maintain peace and
harmony
This is a heart-breaking development. On a day when we should all have been jointly observing the anniversary of a tragic event, we are witnessing
violence
Chandigarh, June 6