|
|
|
|
|
2 killed, 3 hurt in firing on students’ election rally
State to get additional coal linkage for 2 power plants
Director Gill bags award at San Francisco movie fest
Jagmeet Brar accuses Sonia of discrimination
Punjab Bypoll 2014
Preneet Kaur wraps up campaign with roadshow in Patiala
Kejriwal facing bankruptcy of ideas, says SAD
AAP, Cong apprehend violence, intimidation
Irked by Akali ‘interference’, BJP mulls contesting all Gurdaspur MC seats
No party claims credit for Bathinda oil refinery
Electricity poles, meters installed in Talwandi Sabo
Rail line to be laid soon, says Harsimrat
Namdhari leader invites other faction to bury the hatchet
Mentally challenged woman in Ropar faces hospital apathy
5 IPS, 34 PPS officers shifted
Shoe-thrower’s wife fears for his life
3 die in accidents
New Yorker held for mowing down Sikh
HC unhappy with gurdwara mgmt
Six hotels move HC
attack on naib tehsildar
|
Lacking coherent policy, govt showed unusual haste in clearing Pinki’s case
Chandigarh, August 19 Budhu’s is not the only case. There are a large number of convicts in various jails across the state who have been awaiting the processing of their case for premature release for years together. In Amritsar jail alone, 30 such cases have been pending for the past more than a year. In Pinki’s case, the government took a mere 13 days for issuing the order for his release after the ADGP-Jails recommended it on April 4. Pinki, though, was eventually released on June 24 after the completion of various formalities. Interestingly, a government spokesperson today claimed Pinki was released on July 24. Also, the government has not made any progress since February on forming a uniform policy for time-bound processing of applications for premature release of prisoners. Seventy-one inmates of the Nabha open jail had even submitted a petition to a visiting judge last year. They had alleged undue delay and corruption in the processing of files, and had even named some who got preferential treatment. Interestingly, Pinki was one among the signatories to the petition. Another petition, signed by 50 inmates of the Amritsar jail, also levelled similar allegations of favours given to the influential and those financially sound. The Nabha inmates complained though it took more than a year for the Home Department to process their files, those who were financially well off or politically connected were let off early. They cited the case of an inmate, Mahinder Singh, whose file was processed in about two months. The latest to be freed from the same jail is Pinki, who spent seven years and two months in the prison after his conviction. The government policy on premature release mentions that an inmate of the Nabha jail would be eligible to walk free after spending seven years behind bars whereas the time limit was eight-and-a-half years for those lodged in other jails. Only those inmates who display good conduct in other jails are sent to the Nabha jail. Advocate Navkiran Singh, who was appointed amicus curiae in the case pertaining to the petition by the jail inmates, alleged that the government was following pick and choose policy despite orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to frame a coherent policy. “The present policy says that those who have killed a policeman are not eligible for premature release. But the same policy does not bar the release of a policeman who killed someone even though he was duty-bound to protect the citizens,” he said. Jails Minister SS Thandal said the policy would be announced soon as it was awaiting approval by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and the Council of Ministers. He said the department had initiated several remedial measures to speed up the process. “We have already specified time limit for government officials to clear files in favour or against an inmate,” he said. Thandal defended Pinki’s release: “He also spent more than one-and-a-half year in jail as an undertrial. In all, he spent nine years, five months and two days behind bars. No special favour was bestowed on him.” Favoured few
91 prisoners released this year A government spokesperson claimed that this year, 164 cases, which were in accordance with the government policy, had been recommended for premature release from jail. Of them, 91 convicts have already been released, he said. Will raise matter in Assembly: Bains Ludhiana: Independent MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains has said he would raise the issue of convict Gurmeet Singh alias Pinki’s premature release in the Vidhan Sabha. The MLA said it was strange that a murderer’s sentence had been remitted while a slew of cases had been slapped on a man who only wanted to register a symbolic protest by hurling a shoe at the Chief Minister. Bains, who met Avtar Singh’s family on Tuesday, said: “Just because Pinki was a police ‘cat’, his sentence has been remitted. This is unfortunate. It will only encourage other criminals.”
My enemies behind controversy: Pinki
A convict in the murder case of 21-year-old Avtar Singh alias Gola of Ludhiana, Pinki attributed the controversy to the alleged enemies he made while fighting terrorists in Punjab. He claimed he had caught dreaded terrorist Jagtar Singh Hawara twice and helped the state government “immensely” in the fight against terrorism. He said he had even been honoured with a gallantry award for arresting the accused in the Beant Singh assassination case, besides nabbing several other terrorists. “I made several enemies during the dark days of terrorism. They framed me in the murder case of Avtar Singh. For them, the people associated with terrorism are holy cows while those like me who fought them are criminals,” he said. Pinki claimed he had lost everything since he was named in the case. “I could not be by the side of my parents when they breathed their last. My relatives grabbed my property. My career was spoiled… I am the same man who caught Hawara single-handedly at the Jalandhar bus stand. Did anyone dare to catch him?” he said. He said after spending several years in jail, he should be allowed to spend his remaining life peacefully. “The stories of my high-profile connections have been invented by human rights activists. They only want to link me to senior police officials and politicians… None stood by me,” he added.
Kin of abducted youth meet Sushma yet again
Amritsar, August 19 Led by Union Minister for Food Processing and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, these families met Swaraj for the third time since the youths were abducted in mid-June. Swaraj rejected the rumours regarding the Indian workers in Iraq and told their families not to pay any attention to them. The External Affairs Minister assured the families that they were getting regular information about the Indian workers, and that they were safe. As per a release issued here, she told them that they were kept at a textile factory in Mosul and were being provided proper food and water. The Minister also urged the media to keep in mind the condition of their families while reporting the events from Iraq. Swaraj said the government was making all possible efforts for their return. She said that the Iraq government too had issued instruction to private companies to facilitate the return of Indian youth who were willing to return home. Harsimrat appealed to the government to extend financial aid to these families from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.
Pinkcassia’s petition against power theft dismissed
Chandigarh, August 19 “Since forensic evidence clearly suggests that it was a case of tampering with the meter, no fault can be found with the findings recorded by the courts that it was a case of theft," Justice Rakesh Kumar Garg asserted in his order on an appeal filed by the complex. The complex had an electric connection at its premises with 117 KW of sanctioned load. But after checking was carried out in December 2002, a memo demanding Rs 3, 94,663 on account of electric energy theft was issued. The appellant filed a case before the zonal legal dispute settlement committee of the respondent-department, but the case was dismissed as withdrawn. Thereafter, a complaint was moved by the appellant before the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Ropar. It too was withdrawn. The complex then filed an appeal before the Dispute Settlement Authority of the respondent-department, which upheld the claim. Pursuant to this, the appellant deposited Rs 2, 63,110, while putting up its case again before the zonal legal dispute settlement committee. It again decided the matter against the appellant. In the suit, it was stated that the impugned notice was illegal, null and void and against the principles of natural justice. When the electric meter was checked, all seals were reported to be in tact and no crack in the meter glass was detected.
|
|
2 killed, 3 hurt in firing on students’ election rally
Abohar, August 19 The rally was organised by supporters of Dinesh Bishnoi, who is pitted against Pramil Bishnoi, to head the students’ union at Swami Keshwanand Gramothan Vidyapeeth College. Witnesses said some persons, who were following the rally, started firing indiscriminately when the rally participants halted near the Tibbi bus stand. Amandeep (28) and Sandeep (25) of Haryana sustained serious injuries. Besides, commuters Niranjan Singh (35) of Dhaban, Babar Singh (60) of Shergarh and Neeraj 925) of Chautala and a woman were also hurt. Dinesh was safely escorted by some supporters. Hundreds of participants ran helter skelter, so did shopkeepers who rolled down shutters and rushed without locking the same. The police took Amandeep and Sandeep to the local Civil Hospital, where they were referred to the district hospital at Hanumangarh, but they could not be saved. Additional Superintendent of Police DD Singh and local legislator Ram Pratap Bishnoi visited the Civil Hospital to have first hand details from the students who were present there. Police has been deployed at the hospitals in Sangria and Hanumangarh. Preliminary investigation indicated that youths from the neighbouring Haryana segments had reached Sangria to participate in the rally. Inter-state border check posts have been alerted. Notably, the administration made no effort to prevent the holding of the rally even though campaigning outside college premises is against the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Commission. The state government has issued a notification putting a blanket ban on students contesting elections for second term even as they had migrated to other colleges. Meanwhile, security arrangements in Sriganganagar have been tightened following the incident. No outsider would be allowed entry to any college till the polling scheduled for Saturday is over, officials said.
|
||
|
State to get additional coal linkage for 2 power plants
Chandigarh, August 19 The minister, who was in the city today, has reportedly agreed to additional coal linkage for enhancing capacities of the power plants. The Talwandi Sabo plant was originally meant to have three units of 600 MW each (a total of 1,800 MW), but because of installing higher capacity turbines, it will now generate an additional 180 MW of power (each unit will generate 660 MW), taking the total power generation to 1,980 MW. Similarly, the Rajpura plant was to generate 1,200 MW through two units of 600 MW each, but it will now be generating an additional 200 MW as both units will generate 700 MW. Though the two power plants have been ready and made operational, these are unable to generate power to their optimum capacity because of coal shortage. One unit of Talwandi Sabo plant, which is to generate 613.8 MW, was commissioned on July 2, but it has remained closed since July 6 because of non-availability of coal. At Rajpura, only one of the two units is operational. Sources in the Power Department said the Ministry of Coal had allowed 80 per cent of the coal to be supplied from Indian coal mines while the remaining had to be bought by power plants either as commercial coal or from other countries. Mega solar plant for state
Goyal announced setting up of a 2,000 MW solar power plant in the state. He asked the Rural Electrification Corporation and the Power Finance Corporation to jointly fund the project of installing smart meters in the state at a cost of Rs 400
crore.
|
||
|
Director Gill bags award at San Francisco movie fest
Moga, August 19 His Hollywood movie “Last Supper” and Bollywood movie “Death of Amar” were both nominated in the festival. While “Death of Amar” won the Audience Choice Award and the Best Score Award, “Last Supper” bagged awards in five categories, including the Best Director’s Award for Gill, which comes with a cash prize of 1 lakh US dollars. The movie also won the Best of Fest Award, Best Actor’s Award for comedian Eddie Griffin, Best Actress Award for Najarra Townsend and Best Editor’s Award for Ludmil Kazakov. While talking to The Tribune, Param said it was one of the biggest moments in his life. “I will carry on making movies both in English and Hindi with different themes and ideas for all generations. The award has enthused new energy in me to put in more efforts for improving the quality of movies,” he said. Gill started his career in the US with “Rockin Meera” in 2009, which was showcased at several film festivals and received accolades for its huge canvas. He followed it up with a thriller, “Hotel Hollywood”, which recovered its budget on the first day of release. “Last Supper” is his third Hollywood movie, which is all set to release by December-end. The “Death of Amar” is a fast-paced suspense thriller about a struggling actor marked for death. This is his first Bollywood film produced by Remo D’Souza Entertainment. Gill claimed that the critics and audience were bowled over by the solid performance of actor Rajeev Khandelwal. “Rajeev is a very powerful actor and this film fully exploits his talent and that’s why the audience loved this film,” he added. About the Moga man
|
||
Jagmeet Brar accuses Sonia of discrimination
New Delhi, August
19 Refusing to budge from his aggressive stance against the Congress leadership following the party’s rout in the Lok Sabha elections,
Brar, a former member of the Congress Working Committee, questioned Sonia for suspending him. He said no action was taken against senior leaders for raising issues similar to those raised by him. He asked why no notices had been sent to Congress general secretaries Janardan Dwivedi and Digvijay Singh for raising issues similar to those raised by him. He recalled that Digvijay had remarked that party vice-president Rahul Gandhi did not have the will to rule and Dwivedi had observed that “any organisation which wants to talk to its members must also have the capacity to
listen.” AICC disciplinary committee headed by former defence minister AK Antony had last week suspended Brar’s party membership after he demanded that “no Congress president should stay beyond 10 years,” a direct attack on Sonia Gandhi who has been the Congress chief for over a decade. Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmad said the party was keeping a watch on Brar’s activities. He said what he was saying was out of desperation as he had not been allotted the ticket for the Lok Sabha elections. “The suspension was carried out in a clumsy manner. I was not called for a hearing. Till date I have not received the suspension order. The suspension was impulsive and undemocratic. The party high command must think about the larger interest of the party and the fact that workers are in utter despair after the embarrassing loss in the Lok Sabha elections,” Brar said.
|
||
|
Punjab Bypoll 2014
Talwandi Sabo, August 19 Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Partap Singh Bajwa accused the Akalis of using pressure tactics to get votes. He said the people were being told that development would be possible only if candidates of the ruling combine won. Aam Aadmi Party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal said the party had no faith in the Punjab Police and that more paramilitary forces should be deployed in the area. Independent candidate Balkar Sidhu alleged the Congress and the Akalis were playing a friendly match with an understanding to allow the SAD to win Talwandi Sabo seat and putting the Patiala seat in the Congress kitty. The Badals remained absent from the electoral scene in Talwandi Sabo over the past two days. SAD candidate Jeet Mohinder Sidhu canvassed in the Rama Mandi area. Former MP Paramjit Kaur Gulshan also campaigned in the constituency. Two villages of the assembly segment, Bhagi Vander and Pucca Kalan, have been declared expenditure-sensitive pockets where money or other things could be used to woo voters. The Election Commission has stepped up security here. Surveillance teams have been formed to keep an eye on these villages. Special emphasis is being laid on keeping a check on sale and distribution of liquor. The election commission has deputed 51 micro observers, declared 61 booths sensitive, 38 hypersensitive and 60 as ordinary booths. The voting will be held on August 21. The total number of eligible voters is 1,44,316, comprising 77,217 men and 67,099 women. Election Tehsildar Bharat Bhushan said the entire segment had been divided into 12 sectors, each headed by a sector officer. Besides sector officers, there would be 192 presiding officers, 192 assistant presiding officers and 400 polling officers. Tight security in Talwandi Sabo Bathinda: Security has been tightened in the Talwandi Sabo constituency ahead of the byelection scheduled to be held on August 21. Security personnel have been deployed at all entry points, roundabouts and important places in the towns and rural areas. Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said all security arrangement had been made to ensure free and fair polling. Paramilitary personnel would be deployed at all 83 polling location in the constituency. Five companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) had already reached Talwandi Sabo, he added. AAP organises roadshow AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal held a roadshow in villages of Talwandi Sabo on Tuesday. He was accompanied by Member Parliament Bhagwant Mann and other leaders. Kejriwal and Mann accused the state government of fooling the people of the state. Bhagwant Mann said his party would arrange an advocate for Bikram who hurled a shoe at Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Independence Day at Issru village of Ludhiana. Mann said, "When Jarnail Singh hurled a shoe at the then Union Finance Minister, the Badals offered him a government job. They promoted hurling of shoe and had now got Bikram charged for
non-bailable offences."
|
||
|
Preneet Kaur wraps up campaign with roadshow in Patiala
Patiala, August 19 Congress candidate Preneet Kaur held a roadshow in the city. She was accompanied by her husband Capt Amarinder Singh, son Raninder Singh and Congress Legislative Party Leader Sunil Jakhar. “My family will always remain grateful and indebted to you for the love and affection you have always showered on us,” Amarinder told city residents. Preneet said this election was important as it was going to be the game-changer in Punjab’s politics. AAP candidate Harjit Singh Adaltiwala and SAD-BJP nominee Bhagwan Dass Juneja went door-to-door to seek votes. Juneja said he chose door-to-door campaign so as not to cause inconvenience to the people by holding a rally or a roadshow. “We will win as the city has been neglected by the royal family. My win will make sure that Patiala becomes a model city,” he claimed. Adaltiwala said: “Both Congress and the SAD-BJP have failed on all fronts and there is a need for change.” The seat is traditionally considered to be a Congress stronghold, but the party is facing a tough fight from both AAP and the SAD-BJP alliance. Even as candidates of all parties indulged in mudslinging and personal attacks, they all agreed that the city lagged behind in development. While the Congress blames the SAD-BJP’s last seven year rule for the city’s neglect, the ruling alliance claims that former MP Preneet Kaur and her husband Capt Amarinder Singh did nothing for Patiala. AAP blames both parties of being hand in glove in ensuring that Patiala remains a neglected town. The three weeks of campaigning saw all three prominent candidates relying on senior party leaders to do much of political talking. While the Congress campaign was led by former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, AAP candidate got the support of Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, party chief Arvind Kejriwal and Patiala MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi. Juneja’s campaign witnessed rallies by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, BJP state chief Kamal Sharma and over four cabinet ministers and three MPs.
|
||
|
Kejriwal facing bankruptcy of ideas, says SAD
Chandigarh, August 19 SAD general secretary and core committee member Maheshinder Singh Grewal said in a statement that Kejriwal was levelling the same allegations against Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia which he had levelled during the run-up to the parliamentary elections a few months ago. "He is not even mindful of the fact that the allegations have been gone into by four different Central agencies without any evidence emerging against Majithia and also the fact that the high court has dismissed petitions filed in this regard by Congress leaders," he said. Terming Kejriwal a psychopath liar who was ready to compromise the hard-won peace of Punjab by patronising former Naxalites, Grewal said the people of Punjab should examine the people who accompanied Kejriwal on his recent visit to Punjab. "People with a shady past shared political space with Kejriwal during his recent trip to Punjab. Instead of targeting Bikram Majithia to get cheap publicity, he should come clean on the past record of people associated with him in the state," he added.
|
||
|
AAP, Cong apprehend violence, intimidation
Patiala, August 19 The police are likely to have a tough time in carrying out the instructions of the Election Commission of India (ECI) that all outsiders be asked to leave the constituency after campaigning ends. “Only the elected MP or elected MLAs of the Assembly will not be asked to leave the constituency,” read the ECI instructions. HS Mann, Patiala SSP, said four battalions of the Border Security Force (BSF), one of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and seven of the Punjab Police had been deployed in the constituency. “We will not allow outsiders and nakas have already been set up on all prominent roads,” he said. The district administration has declared August 21 as a dry day. A public holiday has been declared in all government institutions and schools in Patiala. Despite the police claims, Capt Amarinder Singh, Congress MP, said the administration was under tremendous pressure to work in favour of SAD candidates in Patiala and Talwandi Sabo.“I will not allow any government official to intimidate Congress workers. We will not let that happen at any cost.” The AAP leadership has already requested the ECI to ensure a free and fair poll by deputing central forces in Punjab. “We are certain that the police will be misused by the ruling party to ensure that AAP does not win the elections,” said Dharmvira Gandhi, Patiala MP. “State-sponsored violence could discourage people from coming out and casting their vote,” he said. Mann said no political party would be allowed to violate law. “We will follow the instructions of the Election Commission in letter and spirit,” he added.
|
||
|
Irked by Akali ‘interference’, BJP mulls contesting all Gurdaspur MC seats
Gurdaspur, August 19 According to the seat-sharing agreement, the BJP contests 17 seats while the SAD contests five seats. A senior BJP leader said the decision to contest all the seats had been taken in consultation with the state leadership. Some senior leaders met state Education Minister Daljeet Singh Cheema last week and told him that local SAD MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) GS Babbehali was ignoring the BJP cadre in the city. The meeting was held at the PSPCL guesthouse when Cheema was here for the Independence Day celebrations. Sources said the leaders told the minister that the MLA had reportedly instructed the civil and police administrations to not address grievances of any BJP leader or worker. Babbehali could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. Among those who met Cheema were district BJP president Romesh Sharma, former president Rakesh Jyoti and former vice-chairman of the Punjab Forest Corporation Rajinder
Bitta. Sources said the BJP leaders did not meet the minister on their own. “The meeting was set up due to some senior New Delhi-based leaders,” said a senior party leader. The situation is reminiscent of the days preceding the 2012 Assembly elections when a dejected BJP decided not to support the candidature of Babbehali before he finally used his persuasive powers to bring on board the “unhappy” leaders. Recently, the BJP held a 12-day rally to protest the “indifferent” attitude of the state government towards its grievances.” The stalemate ended only after Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal asked the protesting leaders to come to Chandigarh to meet him. “The CM also assured the delegation that the vice-chairmanship of an important state-level corporation or board would be given to a
Gurdaspur-based BJP leader,” said a party leader. Our grievances being ignored: BJP
|
|
No party claims credit for Bathinda oil refinery
Chandigarh, August 19 The refinery was at the centre of a credit war between Akalis and Congress leaders in the run-up the Lok Sabha elections in April. Both sides claimed they were instrumental in bringing the project to the area, leading to development, employment and a surge in the real estate business. Ex-Congress Rajya Sabha member Surinder Singla had claimed that the Congress government initiated the project, but the Akalis claimed the state government had taken the initiative for it by offering land and resources. The pollution caused by the refinery having become an issue, no credit game for bringing the project to the area is visible before this bypoll. "People are unhappy with the refinery. They have not got the promised employment opportunities. The local industry has not benefited in any way. The government has failed to provide a healthy environment for the growth of ancillary industry. Due to these reasons, politicians are refraining from claiming credit for the refinery this time," said a Kanakwal resident. The refinery was closed after a blast on June 20. Usually, the operations at the refinery resume within a few days after such disruptions, but this is not the case this time. The annual maintenance scheduled to be undertaken in October-November was advanced and now the test run was likely to be undertaken on August 20 or 21. The bypoll is scheduled on August 21. Congress candidate and ex-MLA Harminder Singh Jassi said the refinery had become a bane for the people due to spread of pollution and frequent blasts. "Instead of spurring industrial growth, the pollution caused by it has made life difficult for the residents. The government conspired to shut it during the elections on the pretext of annual maintenance," he said. He said people were suffering from skin diseases and breathing problems due to rising pollution in the area. Strangely, the refinery was not operational during the campaign. "Another incident of fire or a blast could have earned more ire of the voters," he said. Officials, however, claimed there was no link between the shutting down of the refinery and the byelection. Akali candidate Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu said, "People often talked about better road connectivity, clean drinking water and regular power supply, but pollution was not an issue." Changed scenario
|
||
|
Electricity poles, meters installed in Talwandi Sabo
Pakka Kalan, August 19 In Pakka Kalan village, a number of electricity poles and transformers have been installed despite the poll code. Sources said in the past three months, the SAD-BJP alliance had spent more than Rs 5 crore on new transformers in Talwandi Sabo. When contacted, junior engineer Sham Singh said: “I have installed meters on demand. I have a long list.” A village resident said: “For the past several years we had been demanding that an electricity pole be installed in our locality, but no one paid attention to our demand. We were approached by a group of party activists. We placed our demand before them and it was met within hours.” Sakattar Singh Ball, SDM, Talwandi Sabo, said there had been no poll code violations. “Our flying squads have been conducting raids in different areas. We did receive a number of complaints, but none was genuine.” When shown a video-clip and photographs of new electricity poles, he said he would look into the matter.
|
||
|
Rail line to be laid soon, says Harsimrat
Bathinda, August 19 She said Gowda had written a letter to her stating that the Final Location Survey regarding the new rail line from Maur-Talwandi Sabo to Rama Mandi has already been taken up and the location survey would be completed within next five months after which land acquisition will be processed.
|
||
|
Namdhari leader invites other faction to bury the hatchet
Ludhiana, August 19 However, he refused to acknowledge his brother as the supreme leader of the sect. Thakur Dalip Singh, who also enjoys a considerable following in the Namdhari community, said he was in Ludhiana to meet the Namdhari Panthak Ekta Committee activists sitting on hunger strike outside the Mini-Secretariat for the past 19 days. As he shared the stage with the volunteers on hunger strike, about 100 Namdharis led by Bhupinder Kaur, who were sitting in the pandal, also joined the hunger strike. While talking to the mediapersons, Thakur Dalip Singh said, “We want Namdhari sangant should not be stopped from entering Bhaini Sahib and other paces of worship. It is unfortunate that we are not even allowed to drink water from the Namdhari well.” “Our motive is that all wings of Sikh community should come on a common platform and follow the path shown by Guru Nanak Dev ji,” he said. Lakhvir Singh Namdhari Darbar said none of the followers had been stopped from entering the Namdhari
gurdwaras.
|
||
|
Mentally challenged woman in Ropar faces hospital apathy
Ropar, August 19 Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Dr Rakesh Singla said he was out of town. The officiating SMO, Dr BK Arora, said he was not aware of any such case. Shamsher Singh, caretaker of Prabh Asra, a home for the destitutes at Padiala village near Kurali, said Mukhtiar Kaur, a resident of Khairabad village in Ropar district, brought the woman and the child to the home today. “Mukhtiar Kaur told me that she noticed the woman writhing in pain at the Ropar Civil Hospital. The hospital staff refused to admit her because there was no attendant with her. Mukhtiar Kaur intervened and the hospital agreed to admit the woman and she gave birth to a boy baby on August 14,” he said. District social security officer Anshu Thakur said it was the duty of the hospital authorities to inform her about any such case. “The mother and child would have been sent to the Nari Niketan at Amritsar,” she said.
|
||
|
5 IPS, 34 PPS officers shifted
Chandigarh, August 19 Among the IPS officers, Patil Ketan Baliram has been posted ADCP-2, Amritsar, whereas Alka Meena has been made SP, NRI Wing, SAS Nagar. J. Elanchezhian has been posted ADCP (Crime) Jalandhar, while Harjit Singh has been given the charge of SP, Abohar. Nimbale Dharmendra Harshadra has been posted as ADCP (Traffic), Amritsar. — TNS
|
||
|
Shoe-thrower’s wife fears for his life
Khanna, August 19 Addressing mediapersons here, she said: “I will meet Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and demand justice. Poor people, it seems, have no right to raise their voice against the corrupt system.” She said her husband had been dealt with harshly and demanded that he be released immediately. Nisha, a science graduate, admitted that they were Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters and had worked for the party during the recently held parliamentary elections. She said except for Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira, none had come to her help. Sangrur legislator Bhagwant Mann had spoken to her over the phone, she said. Satnam Singh, Bikram’s friend who accompanied Nisha, described Bikram as a gentle person. Meanwhile, the Khanna police today presented co-accused Mahinder Pal and Harvinder Singh in a local court. They were sent to police remand for a day. Further investigations are on, the police said.
|
||
|
3 die in accidents
Abohar, August 19 In other incident Ram Dayal (70) and Harpal Singh (24) of Tibbi
(Hanumangarh) were killed as a Bolero camper jeep reportedly hit the motorcycle they were using on return from a fair in Gudiya village . — OC
|
||
New Yorker held for mowing down Sikh
New York, August 19 The police in Queens arrested Joseph Caleca of Setauket in Suffolk County and charged him with attempted murder and hate crime, ABC 7 News reported.
Caleca had attacked 29-year-old Sandeep Singh, who was seriously injured when he was hit by the pick-up truck and dragged nearly 30 feet on a public street in Queens following an argument on July 30. Caleca had called Sandeep a "terrorist" who should "go back to your country." Investigators made the arrest after gathering information on vehicles that were in the area at the time of the incident. Sandeep was treated at Jamaica Hospital for abdominal and back injuries. Just days after the attack on
Sandeep, another Sikh man Jaspreet Singh Batra, a medical scientist, and his mother were attacked by a group of teenagers and called “Osama Bin Laden” in an apparent hate crime, sparking outrage and prompting the Sikh community to demand that violence against them must end. Rights group Sikh Coalition has called for a hate crime investigation into the incident. —
PTI
|
|
HC unhappy with gurdwara mgmt
Chandigarh, August 19 Taking up a case filed against the gurdwara, Justice Rajesh Bindal asserted: “This is not the manner in which property of religious institutions should be taken care of”. The assertion came after Justice Bindal took note of the fact that the respondent-gurdwara went unrepresented in a lease-row case for nearly three years.” Before parting with the order, the court observed that though initially the respondent, which is Gurdwara Sangrana Sahib and is managed by a managing committee, was represented by a counsel, later on he stopped appearing. “In fact, none had appeared for the respondent from January 18, 2011, onwards,” the court observed. The assertion came on an appeal filed by Kulwant Singh against the gurdwara. He had moved the court against the judgment and decree of lower appellate court. Claiming to be a lessee on 53 kanals and 6 marlas owned by the respondent-defendant in Manawala Kalan village in Amritsar district, he had filed a suit claiming that he should not be dispossessed except in due course of law. His argument was that he was in possession of the land as a lessee since 1985 and was paying lease money as well. Yet, the respondent-defendant was going to dispossess him by force. The trial court decreed the suit, but the lower appellate court reversed the judgment and decree of the trial court and declined injunction to the appellant. His counsel submitted that the appellant could not be dispossessed, except in due course of law, as he was a lessee on the land in dispute, may be on year-to-year basis, and was depositing the lease money regularly. Moreover, the lease in his favour was never terminated. After hearing the counsel for the appellant, Justice Bindal asserted that he did not find any merit in the appeal.
|
|
|
Six hotels move HC
Chandigarh, August 19 Taking up the petition challenging the orders of sealing the hotels, guest houses and sarais constructed near the Golden Temple, the High Court fixed August 21 as the next date of hearing in the matter. The development is significant as 148 illegal constructions have been identified. — TNS
|
|
attack on naib tehsildar
Abohar, August 19 The Punjab Revenue Officers’ Association had strongly condemned the attack. The Bar Association demanded that the “false” allegations of attempt to murder be deleted from the FIR since no serious injury was detected during the Naib Tehsildar’s medical examination. The facts could only be ascertained if the inquiry is assigned to some senior officer with good credentials, the association said. On August 7, Sharma along with patwari Jagsir Singh, nambardar Mohan Lal and driver Kuldeep were on an official visit to settle a dispute over girdawari. A farmer Shaminder Singh had submitted an application to get the dispute solved. The rival faction had reportedly engaged Advocate Jagnandan Singh Brar for opposing the application. During the course of hearing, Sharma was allegedly attacked by Brar and his wife. The officer said he was rescued by the staff accompanying him. About the incident On August 7, Naib Tehsildar Neeraj Sharma was hearing a dispute over girdawari. A farmer, Shaminder Singh, had submitted an application to get the dispute solved. The rival faction had reportedly engaged advocate Jagnandan Singh Brar for opposing the application. During the course of hearing, Sharma was allegedly attacked by Brar and his wife.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Chandigarh, August 19
Abohar, August 19
Patiala, August 19
Pakka Kalan, August 19
Ludhiana, August 19
Chandigarh, August 19
