Residents shocked at attack on Parliament
Vimal Sumbly and Kamal Kishore Shankar
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 13
The people over here reacted with more shock and less disbelief to the aborted attempt by suicide bombers to attack Parliament House in New Delhi today. Immediately after the news was flashed on various television channels, the entire city seemed to have come to a standstill as people got glued to their television sets with everyone . The news spread like wild fire, as concern and curiosity grew among the public. The incident was shockingly horrible.

While the dark memories of the World Trade Centre bombing in America on September 11 were still fresh, there was another attack on the Indian Parliament and most likely by the same people who had masterminded the WTC bombing. And fortunately, the causalities over here were far less than those resulting from WTC bombing. The Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, had been repeatedly telling Parliament that there was a probability of terrorists attacking some important installations including Parliament House.

Although there was a common feeling that the country should stand united at this crucial juncture and the Opposition parties should not try to derive any political mileage from the incident, still several questions were-being raised about the security lapse at a place where over 400 members of Parliament, the highest decision-makers of the country were together along with senior leaders of various political parties. The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, were not present in Parliament at the time of the incident that took place at 11.25 a.m., only 15 minutes after both the Houses were adjourned due to furore over the alleged coffin scam.

It was a providential escape for the All India Shiromani Akali Dal chief, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra. He told The Tribune over the telephone from Delhi that he had left through the same gate, where the incident took place, only 5 minutes earlier. Parliament had been adjourned on 11.05 and most of the members were about to leave, when the sound of gunfire and blast was heard.

Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and the Mini Secretariat, the two main centres of administrative and academic activity, and other industrial and business centres did not remain unaffected by the incident. Scientists, teachers, students and the non-teaching staff in PAU were seen rushing towards the students’ home to watch the news on television to know the latest about the incident.

The news was broken to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.K. Sandhu, while he was presiding over the weekly sangat darshan at the Bachat Bhawan. Some senior officials in the administration, including the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.R. Kaler, also left immediately after hearing the news to monitor the situation at the local level. The DC was also regularly briefed over telephone about the latest happenings outside Parliament House.

A cross-section of the people termed it as a sheer security lapse and demanded a timebound inquiry by a sitting Supreme Court Judge. They pointed out it was common knowledge that the terrorist organisations would definitely try to hit India for supporting the USA in its war against terrorism. They observed that the intelligence and security agencies should have remained more alert and vigilant.

A senior citizen and former Director of National Institute of Sports, Patiala, Mr S. Subramanian, says that this is the height of security lapse. He was of the view that a proper inquiry by a sitting Supreme Court Judge should be ordered immediately.

A professional, Mr. Vishal Sharma said: “This attack has a message for us that nothing is beyond the reach of terrorists and the countrymen are not safe”. He observed this had to happen and it happened. But the security agencies did not do anything substantial to prevent such an attack. Mr Sharma also favoured an inquiry by a sitting Supreme Court Judge.

Mr Inderjeet Khanna also supported the idea of inquiry of the security lapse by a sitting Supreme Court Judge with in period of less than a month. Mr Khanna was of the view that the government should take a lesson from this episode and plan everything carefully. A proper coordination among all security forces and intelligence agencies, was the need of the hour, he opined.

Mr Sanjay Bansal said that it was a serious security lapse at an important place like Parliament House. He further said that this sudden attack reflected the state of “our poor security system”, and if the representatives of the common people were not safe here, then what about the public. Ms Manmeet Kaur, a student, said that this incident was aimed at terrorising the Indian leaders against taking bold steps against them. She was of the view that a timebound inquiry should be ordered immediately.

TRIBUNE IMPACT
Officials swing into action
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 13
Acting swiftly on reports that construction was going on in violation of orders in Baba Jiwan Singh Nagar near Tajpur road, officials of the district administration and the Municipal Corporation, along with a demolition squad, demolished at least five houses in the colony here this afternoon.

The houses had allegedly been illegally constructed in violation of a court stay order and orders of the district administration and the Municipal Corporation that no construction would be carried out in the colony. The action followed a news report in these columns today.

Residents of the houses and others tried to stop the demolition squad, but the presence of police personnel and officials of the district administration were present to avoid any untoward incident. The residents raised slogans and claimed that they were legal owners of the land.

The demolition was scheduled to take place in the morning, but due to late police arrangements it was delayed and held in the afternoon. A district administration official said only houses constructed after January this year were razed. He said the other houses were not touched as the Punjab Government was considering a proposal to legalise all encroachments till 1995.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.K. Sandhu, had issued orders a few months back that no construction would be allowed on the spot and no cash in the form of instalments would be given to those who sold the government land illegally. He had written to the Punjab State Electricity Board and the Municipal Corporation for not giving any civic amenities to the residents who were occupying the land illegally.

Mr Rakesh Sharma, who had claimed claims to own a piece of land in one of these colonies, had alleged that residents were drawing electricity through kundi connections and there was no check on illegal construction. Nothing substantial had been was done by officials to bring the guilty to book, he had added.

The police and administration had conducted inquiries and cases had been registered against certain persons, but no case had been registered against any revenue official. According to revenue records, it was agricultural land, had actually been turned into residential area.

The role of revenue officials had been questioned as a dead man had been shown tilling agricultural land. The question as to why the officials had not known that agricultural land belonging to the government had been sold in the form of residential plots and why no action had been was taken against them remained unanswered. 

Forcible occupation of plot thwarted; 12 arrested
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 13
About 25 armed youths here in the afternoon tried to forcibly occupy a plot measuring about 1000 sq. yard in Udham Singh Nagar behind the DMC hospital. Preventive action taken by the owners of the plot and timely arrival of the police foiled the daring attempt.

At least 12 youths were reportedly rounded up by the police in this connection. The plot is valued to about Rs 1 crore. The youths had brought construction material along with them and had began construction when the police caught them.

The incident took place at about 1 p.m. when the youths, armed with sharp-edged weapons, sticks and iron rods, broke open the gate of the plot and demolished boundary wall. According to Mr Yogesh, the owner of the plot, the youths surrounded their house near the plot due to which none of them could come out. 

He said they immediately informed the police, at which a police party from Kailash Chowki came and arrested some of the youths while others managed to run away.

Police sources said a large number of sharp-edged weapons along with construction material were recovered from their possession.

Harassed woman ends life
Our Correspondent

Doraha, December 13
A married woman, allegedly fed up with the torture she had to undergo at the hands of her husband and in-laws, hanged herself to death on Wednesday.

Jaspal Kaur had married Pargat Singh of Roshiana village about two-and-a-half years ago. It has been alleged that she was forced to commit suicide because of continuous physical and mental torture at the hands of her husband and in-laws for not fulfilling their endless demands and for being issueless. A case has been registered against her husband, his uncle Sikander Singh, aunt Charanjit Kaur and grandmother Bachan Kaur under Sections 304-B and 34 of the IPC at Payal police station. However, all of them are said to be absconding.

Rs 34,000 snatched: A sum of Rs 34,000 was snatched from an employee of the Punjab State Electricity Board belonging to Jarg village on Wednesday. According to sources, Ramesh Chander was going on a scooter when a car stopped in front of him and its occupants snatched the amount from him. When he tried to resist, they threatened to attack him.

A case has been registered under Sections 382 and 34 of the IPC.

Recreation must for topping in exams

HARD work, dedication and regularity are vital for achieving good results in examination, believes Shikha Gandhi, Panjab University topper of BSc I and II (Medical) from Government College for Women. In routine she hardly studies for an hour and simply goes through lessons taught in the college. But during examination she has to burn the midnight oil.

At the moment Shikha is busy with her final year mid-term examination and she says that she barely sleeps for an hour in the night. Revision of all lessons is a must for Shikha, which she does early morning. Shikha draws inspiration from her elder sister, Nidhi Gandhi, who was also a PU topper. She says that the support of her parents and guidance of her teachers is also as significant.

Shikha aims to take up civil services after completing graduation. She is fond of listening to music and reading fiction. She also spends enough time for going through newspapers, magazines and watching television as she feels that recreation is as important for reviving energy to study.

Politics halts demolition drive in its tracks
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 13
The demolition drive started by the Northern Railways along the tracks yesterday near Dhandari railway station and the Focal Point was stopped midway following intervention by some leaders of the ruling combine. Though notices had been served earlier to encroachers to vacate the government land a number of times, the same had not been heeded to by and large. The demolition squad beat a retreat after a general warning that it would be back after ten days to complete its task.

While a number of migrants had built little shanties on their own, others had constructed semi-pucca and pucca rooms. These had been rented out to migrants working in factories and daily-wagers for between Rs 300 and Rs 400 per room per month. It was mainly this section of encroachers which was shouting hoarse over the demolitions.

Today also, which was supposed to be the first day of the Municipal Corporation’s drive against encroachments, beginning in outer Ludhiana around the Delhi road and the Chandigarh road, there were demonstrations led by local leaders. Besides squatting and blocking road traffic, the demonstrators were planning to hold a dharna and obstruct rail traffic in protest against what they called the highhandedness of the railways authorities in uprooting them.

Some residents opined that with Assembly and municipal elections in the offing, the anti-encroachment drive launched by the Municipal Corporation had offered an opportunity to various leaders to consolidate their respective vote banks by delivering fiery speeches against the railways authorities. Promises of leading the fight until the finish were also given to the gullible migrants, who were demanding ownership rights on the basis that they had been living there for 20 years.

They still miss their hero
Tribune News Service

Issewal, December 13
Tomorrow will be a great day in the history of this village when Air Marshal Manjit Singh Sekhon will be paying tributes to a fellow villager, Shaheed Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon who laid down his life while protecting the country from the Pakistani attack in 1971. He was awarded Paramvir Chakra for his rare act of bravery.

Air Marshal Manjit Singh, who also hails from this village, had also been awarded Vir Chakra for showing exemplary courage in 1971 Indo-Pak war. Both Nirmaljit Singh and Manjit Singh had flown together in separate aircraft to engage the enemy’s aircrafts in dog fighting. While Manjit Singh survived, Nirmaljit Singh went down fighting after destroying three attacking planes of the enemy. He sacrificed his life on December 14, 1971. Since then the people of this village commemorate his martyr-dom day every year, just to make their children aware of the contribution of this hero of Issewal village.

The sublime heroism, supreme gallantry, flying skill and determination above and beyond the call of duty displayed by Flying Officer Sekhon in the face of certain death have set new heights in Air Force traditions. He was a pilot of a Gnat detachment based at Srinagar for the air defence of Valley against Pakistani air attacks. On December 14,1971, Srinagar airfield was attacked by a wave of enemy Sabre aircraft. Flying Officer Sekhon was on duty at that time. Immediately, about six enemy aircrafts were overhead and they began bombing and strafing the airfield. In spite of the mortal danger of attempting to take off during the attack, Flying Officer Sekhon took off and immediately engaged a pair of the attacking Sabres. In the fight that ensued, he secured hits on one aircraft and set another on fire. By this time other Sabre aircraft came to the aid of their hard-pressed companions and Flying Officer Sekhon’s Gnat was again outnumbered this time by four to one. Even though alone, Flying Officer engaged the enemy in an unequal combat. In the fight that followed, at tree top height, he almost held his own, but was eventually overcome by the sheer weight of numbers. His aircraft crashed and he was killed.

This is the story of the hero which every villager has written on his heart. The moment they are asked about their soldier they start narrating it as if they have told it a hundred times. Even the children of this village know about the whole story and remember Nirmal Jit every time they see a plane passing above their village.

According to Mr Gurdial Singh, sarpanch of the village, every villager wants that he should send at least one member of his family in the defence services. “So we organise a function every year in the village and encourage the children to study and join the services,” he added.

Lost child reunited with parents
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 13
Sheer luck enabled an American couple to reunite with its 10-year-old child, who got separated from his parents while travelling in Shan-e-Punjab from Delhi to Amritsar last night. The family was Jalandhar-bound and the child had gone missing from the Rajpura station last night. He was ultimately found at the Amritsar railway station today evening.

A massive search of the child was, meanwhile, launched by the Railway Police and the Punjab Police on the request of the US Embassy officials. According to information available, the boy named Zeremy, along with his parents boarded the train from Delhi last evening. His parents dozed off near the Rajpura railway station and found the child missing when they woke up some time later.

The couple alighted at one station and informed the US Embassy. The Embassy officials got in touch with senior officials of the Punjab Police who got in touch with the Railway Police and a search began at all railway stations from Rajpura to Amritsar.

The parents, meanwhile, also continued their search. Fortunately, the child was spotted at the Amritsar railway station by a member of a searching party. He was reunited with the parents in the evening. The police was informed about the child's recovery by the Embassy after which the search operations were suspended.

Police sources said that when the couple had dozed off near Rajpura, the child had begun roaming around in the train. Somehow he could not find his parents again and settled in another bogey. He alighted at the Amritsar railway station, which was the terminal point of the train.

Shobha yatra reaches city
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 13
The shoba yatra launched by the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti from Jammu on December 5 reached the city this afternoon to a rousing welcome by a large number of religious organisations.

The aim of the awareness campaign yatra, which will culminate at Kamaksha Devi in Assam on February 28, is to tell the masses about the negative impact of the WTO, globalisation and westernisation of Indian culture in general and to warn them against the anti- India designs of terrorist outfits being funded and backed by Osama bin Laden.

The shobha yatra, starting from Samrala Chowk, covered Baba Than Singh Chowk, Division Number 3, Chaura Bazar and Partap Bazar before culminating at the Daresi Grounds where a sant sammelan was held later in the evening. The route of the shobha yatra was decorated with banners and saffron welcome gates were erected on the way.

The organisations which accorded a welcome to the yatra included the Ludhiana chapter of International Brahmarishi Mission, Bhartiya Seva Sangh, Ved Mandir, Akhil Bhartiya Sohum Mahamandal, Sidh Peeth Dandi Swami, Shri Durga Sewak Sangh, Shri Sanatan Dharam Mahotsav Committee, Shivratri Mahotsav Committee, Baba Ganpati Sewa Sangh, Shri Hanumat Sewa Sangh, Shri Gyan Sthal Mandir Sabha, Shri Ram Darbar Samiti, Shri Radha Madhav Sankirtan Mandal and Krishna Mandir, Shastri Nagar.

1 killed, 5 injured in mishaps
Our Correspondent

Samrala, December 13
In two separate incidents today, a youth was killed and five people, including three members of a family, were seriously injured.

According to sources, a speeding jeep hit a scooter on the Machhiwara road killing Baljinder Singh Happy (22), who was driving the scooter, on the spot. Mr Kuljinder who was riding pillion, was injured seriously and was referred to a hospital in Ludhiana.

In another accident, a car collided with a truck in front of the Man Sarovar Flour Mill on the Chandigarh-Ludhiana road. Three members of a family, Ms Gian Kaur, Mr Bachan Ram and Pappi, and Mr Abdul Rashid were injured. They were referred to a hospital in Ludhiana, where the condition of Mr Rashid is stated to be in danger. The local police has registered cases and taken vehicles into its custody.

Woman beaten, four booked
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 13
The Salem Tabri police has booked four members of a family for beating and threatening a woman yesterday. Ms Ranjit Kaur of Salem Tabri, complained to the police that Amar Singh, Mohindero, wife of Amar Singh, Satta, son of Sadhu Singh, and a daughter of Amar Singh, residents of the same locality, came to her house and beat her up.

Two injured: The Jodhewal police has registered a case on the statement of Mr Gian Singh, a resident of Bazigar Colony, against Raju Master. The complainant stated that while he, Shinderpal and Deepa, were going from Preet Nursing Home to their colony on separate vehicles when the accused smashed his scooter into the moped on which Sinderpal and Deepa were riding. As a result, the two were injured and admitted to Civil Hospital.

Liquor seized: The Shimla Puri police yesterday arrested Makhan Lal, a resident of Shimla Puri, and seized 19 bottles of illicit liquor from his possession.

Poppy husk seized: The Koom Kalan police arrested Malkit Singh, alias Kala, a resident of mohalla Rayian, and seized 2 kg of poppy husk from his possession.

Jagraon
8 booked: The Raikot police has registered a case under the Dowry Act against eight persons of a family on a complaint of Ms Rashmi Rani. Navraj Singh, Rashmi's husband, Tarsem Singh, her father-in-law, Sukhdev Kaur, her mother-in-law, Ravinder Singh and Charanjit Singh, her brothers-in-law, Sukhwinder Kaur and Manpreet Kaur, their wives, and Rupinder Kaur, Rashmi's sister-in-law, have been booked.