ABOHAR
Protest: Followers of Dera Sacha Sauda in Abohar and Khuyiansarwar blocks on Thursday observed black day to express resentment over the CBI charge sheet against the dera chief. Shops run by ‘premis’ remained closed. They wore black badges. 

Contest: Malkiat Singh, Amandeep and Nirmaljit Singh stood first, second and third in the declamation contest held at Sardar Patel Medical Institute here on Thursday. Chairman Sita Ram Sharma and chief guest Surinder Narula, director, AKS, lighted the lamp. 

HOSHIARPUR
Gherao threat: Harish Khosla, president,Yogesh Kumra, chairman, Toll Plaza Virodhi Sangharsh Committee, along with Tarlochan Singh, president, Punjab Truck Operators Union, at a press conference here on Tuesday said they would convert their agitation against the lifting of toll plazas on BOT roads into a people’s movement. The committee has decided to gherao all SDMs in Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Ropar, Nawanshahr and Gurdaspur districts on September 7 in this regard.

Husband booked : Vandana of Kolian village of the district has not only got registered a case against her in-laws or demanding Rs 5 lakh from her parents but has also complained against her NRI husband for raping her despite her ill-health. The police registered a case on Tuesday against her husband Baljit Singh, mother-in-law Parkasho Devi, brothers-in-law Pawan Kumar and Satpal and sisters-in-law Surinder Kaur and Rama.

Paramour beaten to death : Surjit Singh and Gurdial Singh, sons of Mehar Singh and Sandhya, residents of Dharampur village allegedly beat their mother’s paramour Charan Dass of the same village to death on Wednesday night. According to the police the sons took the extreme action when they saw their mother with her paramour at their residence on the fateful night. Police has registered a case under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC on Thursday.

Demand for release of salaries : Employees of Irrigation Department held protests against the authorities for not releasing their monthly salaries on Thursday. President and general secretary of the joint action committee, Waryam Singh and Ramji Dass, warned that if their salaries were not released, the members would boycott office work from August 6 onward. He appealed for early release of salaries of employees.

3 booked for dowry harassment : On complaint of Nirmal Kaur, a resident of Ram Nagar, police has booked her husband Amrik Singh, mother-in-law Trishla and father-in-law Joginder Singh under sections 498 A and 323 of the IPC for 
allegedly beating and torturing her for dowry. 

Kapurthala
Two held with hawala money: The police arrested two persons with hawala money at a naka in Bholath bus stand here on Thursday. Bholath SHO Gurbachan Singh said Manjit Singh of Nangal Dhandal village, near Hoshiarpur, and Bhajan Singh of Ghugh Daulatpur village in Bholath were nabbed at the naka and Rs 2.10 lakh of hawala money were recovered from them. Both of them were handed over to the enforcement department for further action. 

MOGA
Convention: Dhyan Singh Mand, acting president of the SAD(A) on Wednesday said the party would hold a Panthic convention at Sunam on August 22 for pressurising the government to apprehend killers of Kanwaljit Singh. He was here to hold a meeting with the local party workers.

Nawanshahr
School heads meet DEO: A deputation of school heads and employees of government-aided schools met district education officer (DEO) Balbir Singh Saini here on Thursday. They apprised Saini of the dilly-dallying approach of the district auditor in the DEO office in dealing with the grant-in-aid claims of the schools. 

Phillaur
Woman, two lovers awarded life imprisonment: The District Session Judge, Jalandhar, awarded three persons including one woman, Kulwinder Kaur, and her two lovers Satnam Singh and Bawa Singh, lifetime imprisonment on the charges of murdering Balwant Singh, husband of Kulwinder, at nearby Samrai village in Phillaur in year 2004. Kulwinder fell in love with Bawa and Satnam. The deceased objected to these relations. Kulwinder hatched a conspiracy along with her two lovers about murdering her husband. The trio then murdered Balwant and threw his body in the field. Later, Kulwinder lodged a complaint with the police about her husband gone missing. 

Phagwara
Video parlours raided: The Phagwara police raided two video parlours and seized 815 pirated CDs including 60 blue films at Prempura and Mehli gate localities here on Thursday. DSP H.P.S. Khakh said cases have been registered against Resham Lal of Prempura and Ashish of Mehli Gate under section 420 of the IPC and Copy Rights Act.

Villagers hold demonstration: A number of residents hailing from various villages under the Phagwara sub division held a protest demonstration in front of the local tehsil office. The protesters alleged that none of the government employee has approached them for preparing the blue cards meant for the much publicised Atta Dal scheme. Rajinder Singh, a resident of local Daddal Mohalla, said despite having valid ration cards and other documents, they were not given the facilities. When contacted, SDM Amarjit Paul said they will verify the facts and send a detailed report to the government.