|
|
|
|
Visually impaired Prof booked for rape
Finally, health team probes Narang hospital’s record with cop’s help
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Land mafia continues to eye prime Improvement Trust land causing delay in scheme implementation
DGP pays visit, Akali councillor held, Gate Hakima police team dismissed
Gate Hakima police in charge Upkar Singh and Head Constable Satpal Singh being escorted to the court in Amritsar on Monday. Tribune photo
Better amritsar/basic amenities—Ii
Smoking at public places goes on unabated
Guru Nanak varsity holds meeting of principals of affiliated colleges
GNDU planning head gets award
Abandoned woman dies at hospital
Animal Husbandry Dept to hold 60 camps
DAV Public School wins RBI quiz
Dharmendra, Gippy together in ‘Double Di Trouble’ with subtle humour
BSF foils another smuggling attempt
|
|
Visually impaired Prof booked for rape
Amritsar, August 25 He has been identified as Associate Professor Vajinder Singh (Music Vocal teacher) with SR Government College for Girls, Amritsar. He is a married man and a resident of B-I Officers Colony, Ram Tirath road, Amritsar. In his defence, Vajinder Singh said that it was a fabricated case designed on the behest of some of his college colleagues to malign his image due to professional jealousy. In a complaint submitted with the Chheharta police station, the complainant (26), alleged that the accused had called her at his house to take tuition in music some years ago. It was then that he made her drink some intoxicant substance before exploiting her physically. She alleged that subsequently he had made a video clip, too, threatening her to put it on the internet, if she dared to go against him. Thereafter, the teacher kept raping her repeatedly. Terming it as a concocted story, Prof Vajinder Singh (52) said that he was being implicated in a false case and that the complainant used to come to his house to take lessons from his wife, who, too, was a qualified music teacher. “I have 100 per cent visual disability. How far can it be believed that I forcefully developed sexual relations with her and shot a video? It was a totally baseless allegation made by her. She was distressed because I had told her not to come to my home as her lessons were over. It was on August 19, that she dared to slap me before the whole of the class on the college premises. I had already submitted a complaint with the college Principal in this regard,” he said. Earlier also, Vajinder Singh, a post-graduate with over two decades of teaching experience, claimed that some of his colleagues, in connivance with a former Principal of the college, had tried to created hurdles in his promotion. He said that similar complaints of sexual harassment and using obnoxious language were filed against him by the students who were instigated by my two women colleagues. An inquiry into these complaints had just been completed. “Ironically, the complainant, who studied music from me from BA part 1 to III, had supported me then. I had sought information under the RTI about the copies of complaints and some other documents pertaining to my department, which were not supplied to me. I had then appealed to the State Information Commission, which had fined Rs 5,000 to the college management for causing harassment to me,” he said. Meanwhile, the SHO of Chheharta police station, Harish Behl, said, “Prima facie we have registered a case under Sections 376 and 506, IPC, against the professor on the basis of the complaint. The case has raised various questions on which we will initiate an enquiry. One, the accused was visually impaired and the accusation of developing sexual relations without consent and videographing it, need to be thoroughly investigated. Another aspect will be to scrutinise various complaints submitted by his fellow women teachers and girl students as well in the past against him,” he said.
|
|
Finally, health team probes Narang hospital’s record with cop’s help
Amritsar, August 25 The team, however, could not inspect the hospital’s operating theatre, pharmacy and the ultrasound centre because these were locked up and the hospital employees said that the keys were with the hospital owner, Dr Ashwani Narang. The police had earlier registered a case against Dr Narang and unnamed hospital employees for obstructing a Health Department team from entering the hospital for inspection. The Civil Surgeon, Dr Rajiv Bhalla, said that the record pertaining to the death of two pregnant women during delivery at the hospital in July was given to the team. He said the department officials would examine the record to ascertain the facts about the two cases. In July, two pregnant women, admitted at Narang hospital, had died during delivery. Later, as the matter was discussed at the monthly review meeting of the District Health Department, instructions were issued to the hospital to submit the record pertaining to both the cases. The hospital owner had allegedly refused to accept a letter from the Health Department, seeking the record on August 8. Later, a team led by the Civil Surgeon himself had visited the hospital to inspect the records on August 21 when Dr Narang and his “supporters” had not allowed the team to enter the hospital as senior health officials were abused and threatened by the mob. A team of the Health Department had failed to inspect the records on August 22 due to lack of security that was demanded from the Police Department.
|
|
Land mafia continues to eye prime Improvement Trust land causing delay in scheme implementation
Amritsar, August 25 The trust had planned to raise a commercial project over two acres and 550 sq yards, adjoining NM Cinema hall, on Court Road in the 1970s. However, since then, the land has been under litigation. It has been used for parking cars, dumping garbage and washermen washing clothes and hanging washings here. AIT Chairman Sandeep Rishi said the Union Government had auctioned the entire plot decades ago along with the land where now a cinema hall stands. The plot was procured by Chaman Lal and Sujan Singh. The AIT acquired the plot from the latter. Similarly, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and BJP leader Navjot Singh Sidhu’s dream project of setting up a state-of-the-art multi-discipline sports stadium comprising indoor and outdoor sports complexes has been delayed reportedly due to activities of the land mafia. A group of people is claiming ownership of about eight acres of land out of the 21 acres of land of the entire multi-purpose project. AIT officials, on condition of anonymity, claimed that the same group from whom the AIT took over the possession of prime 9,500 sq yards land worth Rs 125 crore at the posh Ranjit Avenue on August 20, was again claiming the ownership of the eight acres of land. Being a matter of litigation, the dream of budding sports persons to practice and play in an international- level ground has been smashed. The proposed project’s outdoor sports complex was planned to have a cricket ground for players’ practice, an athletics track, football, lawn tennis courts and kabaddi courts among other facilities. The indoor stadium was planned to have swimming pool with a seating capacity for 2,000 people, a multipurpose hall to facilitate boxing, wrestling, volleyball and basketball matches, according to Olympic standards. The AIT has finalised its design after a competition was held for it and estimates were prepared to float the tender. The AIT is hopeful of getting the possession of the chunk of land at its Truck stand scheme on the GT road. The trust Chairman, Rishi, said the Supreme Court recently ruled in favour of the trust to get possession of all 24 shops. He said soon the trust would acquire their possession.
|
|
DGP pays visit, Akali councillor held, Gate Hakima police team dismissed
Amritsar, August 25 In a surprise development, the Director-General of the Punjab Police, Sumedh Singh Saini, also flew down to Amritsar, especially to enquire into the matter and held a closed-door meeting with the Police Commissioner, Jatinder Singh Aulakh. The whole team of the Gate Hakima police, including SHO Upkar Singh, have been dismissed from service for allegedly beating up their colleague and confining him in custody under political influence. Upkar Singh and Head Constable Satpal Singh have been arrested and they were produced before the court today, the other head constables Kulwant Singh and Balwinder Singh are still at large. Later, several ruling-alliance leaders, including CPS Inderbir Bolaria, BJP’s national secretary Tarun Chugh, SAD district president Upkar Singh Sandhu and senior deputy mayor Avtar Singh Trukkanwala along with other councillors were camping in the office of the Police Commissioner, till the filing of this report. They were demanding that the arrested councillor should be released. Others booked in the case included councillor Dilbagh Singh, Jagtar Singh, alias, Jagga, Gurdas Singh, Sonu, Baba Bobby, Sucha Singh, Guggi, Manga, Lala, all residents of the Anngarh area, confirmed Vidya Sagar, in charge, CIA staff, who has been entrusted with the task of investigating into the matter. The police has also seized a pistol from Jagtar Singh. A case under Sections 452, 342 and 506, IPC, and Sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been registered against them. Head Constable Dilbagh Singh said that he had been organising a fair of Baba Dhiru Shah for over a decade at his native village. The area councillor, Dilbagh Singh, got infuriated for not finding a place in the publicity posters.“He, in connivance with the Gate Hakima police in charge and other police team members, confined me in illegal custody for two days. The councillor, Dilbagh Singh, had insisted on getting his photograph published on the poster, which I had objected to as he was involved with various anti-social elements. On August 22, he and his supporters abused me and lodged a frivolous complaint against me. The next day, during the late hours, a police party led by Gate Hakima police in charge took me to the police station forcibly and beat me up mercilessly at the behest of councillor Dilbagh Singh,” he said. Meanwhile, the National SC Commission Vice-Chairperson, Dr Raj Kumar Verka, today visited Head Constable Dilbagh Singh at his house and recommended that others involved in the incident should be arrested. Condemning the instance, the local MP, Capt Amarinder Singh, regretted that the SHO had acted at the behest of an Akali leader and had shown no mercy or respect for his own colleague. He pointed out, “This is what we have been consistently bringing to everybody’s notice that the Akalis were misusing the police for achieving personal ends and this time they had used one police personnel against another.” “If a policeman in uniform is not safe from arm-twisting and hoodwinking by the Akalis, what will be the plight of a common man?” he asked while calling for strict action against the guilty SHO and other policemen who thrashed their own colleague to please their Akali masters.
|
|
Better amritsar/basic amenities—Ii Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service
There are 834 elementary schools in the district. Out of these, 250 schools are without toilets. Presently, new toilets are being constructed under the Sarva Sikhya Abhiyan grant, a scheme floated by the Union government. However, the residents are of the opinion that the state government should also chip in with adequate grants. Following are the views expressed by members of a cross section of society. A disturbing fact
It is very disturbing to read that after 68 years of Independence of the country a large number of elementary schools do not have decent toilets. The students of many schools have to put up with filthy toilets, dry taps, unclean urinal pots with missing drain pipes, which render these unfit for use. A clean toilet is a basic need of every person. In case of students it is absolutely essential. The government must allocate more funds to build toilets in elementary schools. Harpinder Singh, Breeding inequality
That the school staff lock the toilets entitled to them and make it out of bound for others shows breeding of inequality in temples of education. This practice is going on in a majority of schools. Teachers ensure that they have a decent and clean toilet for themselves. Similar treatment must be meted out to students as they too have a similar right to use clean toilet. Vinod
Mehra, Inadequate grant
A grant of Rs 39,000 to each school for constructing toilet under the Sarva Sikhya Abhiyan is low keeping in view the high cost of construction material and labour. The state government must also contribute towards the scheme to consolidate the infrastructure of elementary schools. There are 834 elementary schools in the border district, but annually the grant is released for setting up toilets in only nine schools, which is inappropriate. Jagtar Gill, Provide facilities at par
Private public schools, with liberal funding, are providing state-of-the-art infrastructure to students. In return, they are charging exorbitant fee and funds under various heads. The government in democracy is duty bound to provide at par facilities to every group to enable its progress in even circumstances. Similar rule should be applied here. Gursharanjit Singh,
|
|
Smoking at public places goes on unabated
Amritsar, August 25 According to norms, sale of tobacco products in 100 yards periphery of an educational institute is an offence, but still such vends can be seen around various schools and colleges in the city. Cigarette shops can be seen near Khalsa College for Women, Khalsa College Public School, Guru Nanak Dev University, Saint Mary School, Women’s Polytechnic College and various other educational institutes. There is also a shop selling cigarettes near BBK DAV College for Women on the Lawrence road. Smoking on public places is an offence, but the people can still be seen enjoying cigarettes comfortably at all places in the city be it parks, roads, or shopping centres. The residents say that the administration should seriously implement the ban on smoking at public places as passive smoking is injurious to health. “The administration has failed to curb the tendency even as it claims to issue challans to violators. May be it needs to increase the penalty amount so that violators start fearing the law,” said Kamal Mahajan, a school teacher. The residents also demanded that cigarette vendors near educational institutes should be immediately removed as tender minds can easily be swayed by advertisements.
|
|
Guru Nanak varsity holds meeting of principals of affiliated colleges
Amritsar, August 25 The meeting was organised by the College Development Council under the chairmanship of Prof Ajaib Singh Brar, Vice-Chancellor of GNDU. Registrar, Prof Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Dean, College Development Council, Prof RK Mahajan and Principals of various affiliated colleges were also present on the occasion. Prof Brar said to impart quality education, there was need to change the mind set. He emphasised that teachers needed to be versatile to answer queries of students. “A teacher should always be eager to help and solve problems of students. The need of hour is to introspect ourselves to justify. We need to provide education equipped with practical knowledge to ensure the overall development of students with an aim to make them successful in their lives,” said the VC. The process of evaluation needed to be geared up with the support of colleges. The university would shortly constitute a 10-member committee to review the syllabus, which would be amended for the 2015 academic session with the recommendation of the committee, added the VC. He also appreciated Principals for their cooperation during last five years. “I appreciate Principals for their valuable suggestions for the smooth functioning,” he said. Prof Brar also gave details about the achievements of the the university during the last five years. Earlier, Prof Mahajan welcomed members and Prof Dhillon presented a vote of thanks on the occasion. GNDU results
The results of BA, BSc (semester IV), BCom (regular) second semester, BCom (professional) second semester, BCA (semester II), master of commerce (semester II), master in tourism management (semester II), master in tourism management (semester IV), MA sociology (semester IV), MA history (semester IV), MA Hindi (semester IV), MA political science (semester IV), postgraduate diploma in cosmetology (semester II), MA economics (semester IV), MA English (semester IV), MA Punjabi (semester IV), master in interior design (semester IV) and bachelor of food science and technology (honours) second semester, the examinations for which were conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University in May this year, were declared here today. Dr Renu Bhardwaj, professsor in charge (examinations) said these results were also available on the university website www.gndu.ac.in.
|
|
GNDU planning head gets award
Amritsar, August 25 His name was forwarded by police officials for advising them to install plastic cones on main roads to segregate traffic. His suggestions to the Amritsar traffic police for putting up fixed cones to provide separate lanes to manually driven rickshaws and carts, two-wheelers, four-wheelers and heavy vehicles on the busy Bhandari Bridge, considered as the lifeline of the holy city, streamlined the traffic. Located in the middle of the city, the bridge connects the old walled city with the rest of the town. It witnesses a huge rush and traffic chaos as people use the bridge for reaching the bus stand and for going towards Jalandhar. It is also used to enter the walled city through the Hall Gate area. The new addition will regulate the traffic coming from the Golden Temple and the walled city. Prof Balvinder has now mooted diversion of autos heading to the walled city and elevated road and the railway link road. He has extended similar suggestions for busy intersections on GT Road connecting Ajnala Road and residential Rani Ka Bagh locality. He is also in favour of regulating traffic around bus stand, railway station and even removing encroachments.
|
|
Abandoned woman dies at hospital
Amritsar, August 25 She was admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, where she died during treatment at 11 pm yesterday. The Islamabad police team, headed by SHO Amrik Singh, had started investigations to know whereabouts of the woman. “She was not in a position to tell about anything that’s why her identity could not be ascertained. The doctors did not confirm about any rape attempt with her. Nonetheless, the body has been taken into custody for the next 72 hours. The exact cause of death will be ascertained after the post-mortem examination,” said the SHO. A passerby had spotted the woman in her mid thirties. She was in a semi-naked state and was roaming at a secluded place. The nearby residents got her admitted to the hospital and informed the police. The victim had injury marks on her body and was undergoing treatment at the hospital.
|
|
|
Animal Husbandry Dept to hold 60 camps
Amritsar, August 25 Dr Jagdish said the department would also provide animal food supplements to the people at 50 per cent subsidy. He said the camps would start from September 6 onwards.
|
|
|
DAV Public School wins RBI quiz
Amritsar, August 25 The winning team comprised Ateev Bhandari of Class IX and Sadkirat Singh of Class X. The school team has been selected to represent Amritsar in the north zone finals to be held in New Delhi. The Principal of the school, Dr Neera Sharma, lauded the efforts of the students and teachers. She said it was very important to keep oneself updated with the current events and meet the challenges of every-day life.
|
|
Dharmendra, Gippy together in ‘Double Di Trouble’ with subtle humour
Amritsar, August 25 The film, which releases on August 29, stars Gippy and Dharmendra in double roles. The film will see Dharmendra again into mainstream Punjabi films and the versatile actor is excited to be a part of the growing ‘home’ industry. Missing out on the Amritsar promotional tour for the film, the actor’s absence was explained by Gippy. “He has been on a whirlwind promotional and shooting schedule for the film, which took a toll on his health. He was supposed to come to Amritsar, but missed out on it due to health issues.”Moving on to the film, “Double Di Trouble” is the story of a father-son duo, played by Dharmendra and Gippy, in double role, with lots of confusion around them. The film is a comedy, but Gippy says it’s quite different. “Comedy can belong to different genres. This time, the humour is sophisticated, subtle and situational.”Agrees Gurpreet Ghuggi, who will be seen adding to the “trouble” in the film. “This is a film where you had to have a strong actor, with impeccable comic timing. And so, we have Dharmendra of Bollywood and Dharmendra of Pollywood, both playing lovable and hilarious characters on the screen.” The two leading ladies of the film include Minnisha Lamba and Kulraj Randhawa along with Poonam Dhillon. The film was shot in and around Chandigarh and is touted as one of the big-budget Punjabi films of the year. Presented by Subhash Ghai’s Mukta Arts, it has been made on a budget of over Rs 12 crore. As for Gippy, the film is special for two reasons, working with his idol, Dharmendra, and the script, which he feels is the real hero. “I am Dharmendra paaji’s biggest fan, but who isn’t? Working with Dharmendra paaji was like learning to be a good human being first rather than solely an actor. He is humble and the kind of respect he enjoys from his fans is awesome,” says Gippy. Smeep Kang, director of the film, had to search for five years to finally cast Dharmendra in the role. Says Gippy, “’It’s true that we didn’t want to be rejected by Dharmendra paaji. When we started working on the script, the concept was different. But when we took the final script to him for narration, he really enjoyed it.”
|
|
BSF foils another smuggling attempt
Amritsar, August 25 According to information, BSF jawans noticed some movement near Rattan Khurd Chowki in Amritsar sector, near Pillar No. 100/6, at 1.45 am. After challenging intruders, BSF jawans opened fire. The suspected Pakistani smugglers did not retaliate, but managed to flee on the other side of the border. The BSF team later found a 20-foot long and 6-foot wide plastic pipe while examining the spot in the evening.
|
|
| 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 | |
In a glaring incident, a visually impaired college teacher of a girls’ college has been booked allegedly for raping his former student repeatedly for the past few years.
Amritsar, August 25
Amritsar, August 25
Two years have passed since the government declared Amritsar as a smoke free district, but it seems that the local authorities have failed to make the holy city smoke free in practical terms. Tobacco vends near schools, educational institutions and residents smoking at public places are not an unusual sight.
Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Errors” has inspired many slapstick and situational comedies. And now the classic story of twin-trouble and confusion comes in its Punjabi version, “Double Di Trouble”, with Gippy Grewal and Bollywood superstar Dharmendra in a never-seen-before act.
Amritsar, August 25